What is not necessarily a consideration for a hardship voluntary separation?

• A. The family is separated
• B. Separation will eliminate the hardship
• C. The dependency or hardship is not temporary
• D. The Airman has made every reasonable effort to remedy the situation

Answer: (A)

The situation being tested is what factors are actually required to consider a hardship voluntary separation. For HVSA, the decision centers on whether leaving active duty would relieve the hardship, whether the hardship is ongoing rather than temporary, and whether the Airman has taken reasonable steps to remedy the situation. The fact that the family is separated is not a mandatory criterion to grant HVSA. A service member can qualify if separation would eliminate the hardship and the hardship is not temporary, and only if they’ve demonstrated they tried to resolve the issue. In other words, the mere condition of family separation isn’t something that must exist to justify HVSA; it’s the effectiveness of separation in alleviating the hardship, plus the persistence of the hardship and the member’s proactive remedies, that matter.