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The Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Administrative Retention Review (MAR2) is the Army's fix to the confusing and lengthy MOS Medical Retention Board (MMRB) process. The MAR2 program became effective Aug. 23, 2012, through Army Directive 201218 and determines whether a Soldier with a permanent physical profile 3 or 4 (P3 or P4) will be retained in his primary MOS (PMOS)/area of concentration (AOC), reclassified into another MOS, or referred to the Disability Evaluation System (DES).
Background
The DES is used to determine the fitness for duty and applicable disability benefits of Soldiers with dutyrelated impairments. The DES is composed of the medical evaluation board (MEB) and the physical evaluation board (PEB). Soldiers are referred to the DES when they no longer meet medical retention standards in accordance with chapter 3 of Army Regulation 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness. Four methods are used for DES referral:
* An MEB initiated by the medical treatment facility (MTF).
* A fitness for duty medical examination.
* The Reserve component nonduty-related process.
* The MMRB (now replaced by the MAR2 program).
The MMRB was costly, lengthy to adjudicate, and not streamlined across components. On Jul. 2, 2008, Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., then Army Chief of Staff, asked retired Gen. Frederick M. Franks, Jr., to lead an effort to review the medical evaluation board/physical evaluation board process. Franks' 2009 study identified that the MMRB was cumbersome and confusing.
Further analysis was conducted, and the Army initiated a MAR2 pilot program on Aug. 1, 2010. As a result of the successful 2-year pilot, the MAR2 process was approved for Army-wide use. The MAR2 process saves the Army an estimated $15.3 million and more than 16,000 manhours annually. MAR2 also significantly shortens the...