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Grooming Medical Exemptions: Separation Process Now Has a Timeline and New Form

MARADMIN 192/26·April 24, 2026·2 min read·Official source
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The Marine Corps updated its policy on medical uniform and grooming exceptions, adding a formal separation timeline, a new form, and a step-by-step process for commanders. This change brings Marine Corps policy in line with Department of War direction that grooming modifications are temporary, capped at 12 months. If a Marine's condition isn't resolved within that window, commanders are now required to evaluate them for administrative separation. No final separation can be approved before 1 October 2026.

Heads up: If you hold a medical grooming or uniform exception, the clock is now formal. Twelve months of continuous treatment triggers a separation evaluation, and your commander is required to counsel you at the six-month mark.

Who it affects

All Marines, Total Force, including SMCR and IMA. This is most relevant to any Marine currently on a medical grooming or uniform exception, such as a Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) shaving accommodation, or any commander managing a Marine in that situation.

What you need to do

If you are a Marine on a medical grooming exception:

  1. Know the timeline. Six months of continuous treatment triggers a mandatory initial counseling (Page 11 entry). Twelve months triggers a formal separation evaluation.
  2. Get the new form. The PFB Grooming Accommodations form is NAVMC Form 11830(03-25)(EF). Download it from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) forms site: https://forms.documentservices.dla.mil/order/. The form must be downloaded to your desktop before use.
  3. Talk to your medical provider and command if you are approaching either threshold. Do not wait for your commander to initiate.

If you are a commander or SNCO managing a Marine on a grooming exception, the process is now sequential and mandatory:

  1. At six months: Conduct initial counseling. Document it on Page 11. Notify the Marine of potential separation if the condition continues past 12 months.
  2. At 12 months: Evaluate for continued service. If the condition has not improved, is not classified as a disability, and adversely affects good order and discipline, consider initiating separation.
  3. Before any separation action: Obtain a medical recommendation endorsed by a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) Convening Authority.
  4. Upon MEB endorsement: Conduct final counseling. Document it on Page 11. Process separation under "Condition Not a Disability" (enlisted, per MCO 1900.16 para 6203.2) or "Condition Not Constituting a Physical Disability" (officers, per SECNAVINST 1920.6D).

Marines separated under this policy receive reenlistment code RE-3P.

Key dates

  • Effective immediately: All updated procedures and the new PFB form are in effect now.
  • Six-month mark: Commander conducts mandatory initial counseling and Page 11 entry.
  • Twelve-month mark: Commander evaluates Marine for separation if condition unresolved.
  • 1 October 2026: Earliest date a final separation package under this policy can be approved.

The official version

This is MARADMIN 192/26, a change to MARADMIN 124/25. Referenced orders include MCO 6310.1C (PFB policy), MCO 1900.16 (Separations and Retirement Manual), MCO 1020.34H (Uniform Regulations), and SECNAVINST 1920.6D. POC is SMB_HQMC_MPO@USMC.MIL.

This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.

Resources & references

The documents this bulletin points to, with a plain-English note on why each matters. Links marked CAC required need a government login.

  • MARADMIN 124/25 – Uniform and Grooming Standards for Medical ConditionsMARADMIN

    This is the original interim policy that MARADMIN 192/26 amends. Reservists need it to understand the baseline rules being updated, including the original counseling and separation timelines.

  • Secretary of War Memorandum – Grooming Standards for Facial Hair ImplementationReference

    This Department of War directive reinforces that grooming modifications are temporary and capped at 12 months, and requires evaluation for administrative separation after that period. It is the higher-level authority driving the timeline changes in this MARADMIN.

  • Marine Corps Pseudofolliculitis Barbae Policy (MCO 6310.1C)Reference

    This order governs the Marine Corps policy on PFB, the medical condition at the center of this MARADMIN. It is the foundational document defining the condition and its treatment context.

  • Administrative Separation of Officers instruction (SECNAVINST 1920.6D)Reference

    This Secretary of the Navy instruction governs how officer separations are processed. Officers separated under this policy will be processed in accordance with it.

  • Marine Corps Separations and Retirement Manual (MCO 1900.16)Reference

    This order governs enlisted separations and retirement. Enlisted Marines being considered for separation under this policy will be processed under specific paragraphs of this manual, and it also governs the Page 11 counseling entries required at the six-month and final-counseling stages.

  • Marine Corps Individual Records Administration Manual (MCO P1070.12K)Reference

    This manual covers administrative remarks and individual records. It governs the officer counseling documentation (Page 11 entries) required during the separation process described in this MARADMIN.

  • Marine Corps Uniform Regulations (MCO 1020.34H)Reference

    This order establishes the uniform and grooming standards that a Marine must be unable to meet before the separation evaluation process is triggered. Commanders reference it when determining whether a medical condition requires a modification.

  • PFB Grooming Accommodations Form (NAVMC Form 11830) – DLA Forms Portal

    This is where Marines download the official PFB Grooming Accommodations form required to document a grooming exception. The MARADMIN specifies the form must be downloaded to desktop from this site.

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