How does someone who has only been in 3 years separate, if it is even possible, without punishment?

**Note: I will be using Army terms here, but the general ideas will hold true regardless of service.

BLUF: The best, and often fastest, way to get out of the Army is simply to meet your obligation. But if you must get out quicker, you're going to sacrifice--the faster a route gets you out of the Army, the less desirable the discharge will be. Routes that end in honorable discharge require honorable service, and are unlikely to happen quickly.

68W here. To address all the people here recommending MEB, allow me to be clear. The MEB is not, by any means, a way of getting someone out quickly or efficiently. Medical retirement boils down to a few things. You first have to prove: A) You sustained some type of medical illness/injury while in the line of duty. B) The armed forces or military lifestyle was at fault or the root cause of said injury. C) The injury completely and wholly prevents you from performing your basic duties as a soldier.

For many soldiers, psychiatric illness is indeed a very real and troubling issue that can prevent them from serving effectively. However, before going to MEB, Army providers will do anything and everything in their power to bring that servicemember back into fighting shape. If you suffer from depression, it's cheaper, more effective, and better in the long run to provide you with therapy and medication, rather than a separation packet.

Once all routes of treatment have failed (i.e. your soldier has gone through therapy, multiple trials of medication and specialty care, all spanning months and months of time), then and only then will medical providers consider MEB. And even once the MEB has begun, the average time to complete it (from when the packet is initiated until the servicemember separates) is well in excess of 6 months on average.

Some alternatives:
-Chapters. Many chapters cover situations where a servicemember is no longer able to meet his/her obligation for various reasons. Hardship, pregnancy, height/weight, failure to adapt to the military lifestyle, etc. All of these have varying degrees of impact on your separation. Ask your soldier: "How eager are you to get out?" If he wants to get out as quickly as possible, fail a drug test. That'll get you out in a hurry, although not in a good way. IG is a great place to start if you have questions about the chapter process; they are the SME's of the regulations and should be able to help you out (and, I'm sure, would gladly welcome a legitimate question instead of some E-3's gripes about his platoon sergeant).
-Staying in. Sometimes, "toughing it out" is the best option. The upside to this one is that it practically guarantees an honorable discharge. The downside is that you still have to stay in the Army until your obligation is up.

As a leader, I would simply lay out the options for your soldier clearly. Establish the routes of approach (MEB, Chapter, Staying In), and define the pros and cons with your soldier. At the end of your discussion, ask your soldier to take some time and pick which option seems most viable to them, and then pursue it. At the end of the day, the best you can do is open doors for your troops. It's up to them to walk through the openings you provide. Good luck, hope all goes well.

SSgt Billy Hipp - Medical separation for major service connected disability? Sandy :)

You signed up with a 3 year contract. Otherwise, man the f*** up and do what you agreed to do, or decide to accept the consequences of breaking your oath.