SHPE by Branch: DD Form 2807-1 Comes First, the 90/30-Day Windows, and Who Actually Runs Your Separation Exam (2026)

Quick answer: SHPE stands for Separation History and Physical Examination. It's the Department of War (DoW) separation exam, governed by DoD Instruction 6040.46 (the instruction still carries its DoD issuance name). The form you fill out before it is DD Form 2807-1, Report of Medical History. Whether DoW or VA actually runs your exam depends mostly on one thing: whether you file a Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claim or are going through IDES. If you are, VA does a Separation Health Assessment (SHA). If you aren't, or you have fewer than 90 days left on active duty, your military clinic does the SHPE. If you're filing a VA claim, schedule it no later than 90 days before separation. The rest is mostly local procedure, and it varies by base.

This is the "who, which form, and when" post. If you want help writing up the self-assessment so it actually supports a VA claim, that's covered in The Separation Health Assessment Explained: SHPE vs SHA, and How to Fill Out Part A. One caveat: that guide is written around the VA SHA's Part A self-assessment. If you're doing the DoW SHPE (not BDD or IDES), your self-report form is DD Form 2807-1, not Part A — the how-to-describe-your-conditions advice transfers, but fill out the form your route actually uses. See the forms section below for which is which. For what to bring and how to prep for the appointment itself, see the Separation Physical Prep Guide.

SHPE vs SHA: Two Exams, Two Departments (For Now)

You'll hear "SHPE" and "SHA" used like they mean the same thing. Sometimes the same briefer uses both in one slide. For practical purposes, the difference is who runs the exam.

• SHPE (Separation History and Physical Examination): the DoW separation exam under DoDI 6040.46. Your military clinic does it. health.mil describes the SHPE as DoW's name for its part of the joint DoW-VA Separation Health Assessment program.
• SHA (Separation Health Assessment): what VA conducts for members who file a BDD claim or are going through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). The same VA page says DoW does the exam if you aren't in BDD or IDES, or have fewer than 90 days left on active duty.

Either way, health.mil says you need only one exam. Results are shared between DoW and VA, so a completed separation exam can be used if you file a VA claim later.

The plan was for the two exams to become one. According to GAO-25-107205 (June 5, 2025):

• VA implemented a joint SHA in April 2023, meant to be a single exam both departments could use. It adds five mental health screens that DoW's SHPE doesn't include.
• As of May 2025, DoW had not implemented it. DoW was still using its own SHPE. It had finished a pilot of the joint version at three military treatment facilities (one Army, one Navy, one Air Force) in January 2025 and was still deciding next steps.
• GAO's three recommendations deal with validating those mental health screens, not with getting DoW to adopt the exam. GAO lists one as implemented as of August 2026. The other two (the PTSD and violence-risk screens) were still open, with a target date of December 31, 2026.

Bottom line: one standardized exam across both departments is still a goal, not how things work. You may get your exam through your clinic or through VA, and the acronym on the scheduling email won't tell you which. Ask directly: "Is this the DoW SHPE or the VA SHA, and who's doing it?"

The Forms: Which One Must Be Completed Before the SHPE or SHA

Straight answer: for the DoW SHPE, DD Form 2807-1 comes first. It's your form. You fill it out before the exam, and the provider works from it. On the BDD route, VA's SHA Part A self-assessment does the same job for the VA exam.

If you searched for "SHA form," you probably mean the VA Part A self-assessment linked above. VA's own explainer is here. How to fill it out well is in the Part A post.

One practical point: your clinic decides which forms it wants and in what format. Some want the 2807-1 through an online system, some on paper, and some may ask for a 2807-1 even if you're on the BDD route. Ask when you call to schedule. Don't wait until you're at the front desk.

The Timing Windows: 180, 90, and 30

Three numbers come from the sources. Everything else in your calendar hangs off them.

• 180 to 90 days before separation: the BDD claim filing window, per VA's BDD page. You also have to be available for VA exams within 45 days of filing.
• No later than 90 days before separation: if you're filing a VA claim, health.mil says to schedule your SHPE by then.
• 31 to 90 days out, then the last 30 days: under DoDI 6040.46, an exam done 31 to 90 days before separation has to be validated within 30 days of separation. Validation means a provider reviews the exam for any changes in your health and makes a separate entry in your record confirming it's still current. An exam done within 30 days of separation needs no validation.

Those last 30 days are where people get caught. They often fall during terminal leave, when you aren't coming to work and aren't thinking about the clinic. If your exam needs validation, find out before you sign out how your clinic handles it for members on leave.

Air Force and Space Force

"SHPE" is a DoW-wide term, but you'll hear it constantly in Air Force out-processing. Based on published Air Force base clinic guidance (for example, the 55th Medical Group at Offutt and the 86th Medical Group at Ramstein), the pattern at a lot of bases looks like this:

• DD Form 2807-1 starts in MyIMR. At these MTFs, you start your medical history electronically through MyIMR instead of on a paper form.
• A current hearing test. Expect the clinic to check your audiogram date. Some Air Force clinic pages say it has to be within 12 months of the SHPE. DoW and Navy guidance reference a termination audiogram (DD Form 2216) within the previous 6 months. Ask your clinic which window it uses.
• An SHPE coordinator at the Medical Group (MDG). At the bases that publish their process, an SHPE coordinator schedules the exam and handles the paperwork. That's who you call.

That's a common pattern, not a rule I can guarantee for your base. Some MDGs do things differently. Call your MDG's SHPE coordinator, or check your base's out-processing checklist, and confirm the steps for your clinic.

Army

Soldiers complete their portion, the DD Form 2807-1 medical history, and the clinic handles the exam. Beyond that I won't give you a step-by-step, because the Army process varies by installation. That includes who you contact, how paperwork is submitted, and how far out appointments are booking. A checklist from someone at another post may not match yours.

What to do:

• Contact your installation's clinic early and ask exactly what it needs from you and in what order.
• Ask whether you're getting the DoW SHPE or the VA SHA. If you're filing BDD, VA conducts your Separation Health Assessment. Ask what, if anything, the clinic still needs from you on the DoW side.
• If you're in IDES, follow your PEBLO's guidance on the exam, not the general out-processing checklist.

If you searched for "SHA Army": the SHA is the VA exam. Soldiers get it the same way everyone else does, by filing BDD or going through IDES.

Navy and Marine Corps

I'm going to keep this short on purpose. I don't have verified, service-specific procedures for the Navy or Marine Corps to give you, and I'm not going to make up a checklist.

Here's what holds across services: the SHPE falls under the same DoW instruction, DoDI 6040.46. DD Form 2807-1 is still the form you fill out. The 90-day and 30-day windows above still apply. VA still conducts the SHA if you file BDD or are in IDES. How you actually get scheduled runs through your MTF, branch medical clinic, or unit medical department, and that varies by location. Ask them early and ask specifically what they need from you.

If you want the Navy's own references, start with MILPERSMAN 1900-808 (Physical Examination for Separation) and NAVADMIN 146/25 (July 2025), which covers the SHPE and "fitness to separate" versus fitness to reaffiliate with the Navy Reserve. Your clinic's process still wins over anything general.

Do It Before Terminal Leave

If there's one scheduling rule to follow, it's this: get the exam done while you're still on station. Once terminal leave starts, you aren't coming to work. The exam, any follow-up appointments it generates, and the 30-day validation all still have to happen before your separation date. Trying to do that from a rental house three states away is miserable. health.mil makes a related point: if you're taking extended terminal leave, it's best to schedule the exam at a military hospital or clinic.

The SHPE is competing for the same calendar as everything else in your last few months:

• TAP Capstone and DD Form 2648 have their own deadline, and it moves earlier when you take terminal leave.
• Terminal leave, SkillBridge, and PTDY all eat into the time you're actually on base.
• If you're filing a VA claim, the VA Disability Preparation Checklist covers the records and evidence side that the exam feeds into.

Work backward from your terminal leave start date, not your separation date. That's the date you actually stop being easy to reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SHPE stand for?

SHPE stands for Separation History and Physical Examination. It is the DoW separation exam governed by DoD Instruction 6040.46. The term and the instruction are DoW-wide, though you will hear the acronym constantly in Air Force and Space Force out-processing. It has two halves: your medical history on DD Form 2807-1, and the provider's exam on DD Form 2808.

Which form must be completed before the SHPE or SHA?

For the DoW SHPE, DD Form 2807-1, Report of Medical History. You fill it out before the exam, and the provider works from it. If you file a Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claim and VA conducts your Separation Health Assessment, VA's SHA Part A self-assessment is the self-report form for that exam, and VA requires it with a BDD claim. Some reserve component members coming off shorter active-duty tours use DD Form 2697, Report of Medical Assessment, instead of a full SHPE. Your clinic decides which forms it needs from you, so ask when you call to schedule.

What is the difference between SHPE and SHA?

Mostly, who runs it. The SHPE is the DoW separation exam under DoDI 6040.46, done through your military clinic. The SHA is the Separation Health Assessment that VA conducts for members filing a BDD claim or going through IDES. VA implemented a joint SHA in April 2023 that was meant to serve both departments, but GAO reported in June 2025 (GAO-25-107205) that as of May 2025 DoW had not implemented it and was still using its own SHPE, after piloting the joint version at three sites. Clinics use the terms loosely. Ask which exam you are getting and who is doing it.

When should I schedule my SHPE?

Earlier than you think. If you are filing a VA claim, health.mil says to schedule the SHPE no later than 90 days before separation. The BDD claim window is 180 to 90 days before separation, so the two line up. Under DoDI 6040.46, an exam done 31 to 90 days before separation has to be validated, meaning reviewed for any changes in your health, within 30 days of separation. If you plan to be on terminal leave during those final 30 days, ask your clinic how it handles validation before you sign out.

How does the SHPE work in the Air Force?

At a number of Air Force MTFs that publish their process, you start DD Form 2807-1 electronically through MyIMR, an SHPE coordinator at the medical group schedules the exam, and the clinic checks that your hearing test is current. Some clinic pages say within 12 months; DoW and Navy guidance reference a termination audiogram within 6 months. Treat that as a common pattern, not a guarantee. Call your MDG's SHPE coordinator or check your base's out-processing instructions to confirm how your clinic does it.

How does the SHPE work in the Army?

You complete your portion, the DD Form 2807-1 medical history, and the clinic handles the exam. Beyond that the process varies by installation: who you call, how the paperwork is submitted, and how far out appointments are booking. Contact your installation clinic early and ask exactly what it needs from you. If you file a BDD claim, VA conducts your Separation Health Assessment, so ask your clinic what, if anything, it still needs from you on the DoW side.

Should I do my separation exam before terminal leave?

Yes, if you can. Once terminal leave starts you are not coming to work, and the exam, any follow-up appointments, and the 30-day validation still have to happen before your separation date. Get the SHPE scheduled while you are still on station, and put it on the same calendar as Capstone and your terminal leave start date.

Final Thoughts

Most of the confusion about the SHPE is just terminology and local procedure. The fixed parts are short: DD Form 2807-1 comes first. BDD and IDES send you to VA for the SHA. If you're filing a claim, schedule by 90 days out. An exam done 31 to 90 days out needs validation in the last 30. Everything else depends on your clinic, so call them.

Call early. Ask which exam you're getting and who's doing it. Get it done before terminal leave. And put everything on the 2807-1. The provider works from that form, so whatever you leave off is easy to miss.

About the author: Bruce Goren is a retired Air Force member (Ret. Feb 2026). He went through his own SHPE and VA claim during transition, which informed the practical guidance shared here. This post is general information, not medical or legal advice. Separation exam procedures differ by service and by clinic, so confirm specifics with your MTF, transition office, PEBLO, or a VSO.