Lunch & Learn: Discharge Upgrade
Tune in to our discussion with experts from Harvard’s Legal Services Center and other organizations who discuss how processes to administratively discharge service members for misconduct
- have historically failed to recognize service-connected conditions,
- are used inconsistently across DoD, and
- contribute to significant crisis within the veteran serving community
According to a GAO study, one in five service members discharged between 2011-2015 with an other-than-honorable (OTH) designation had a service-connected traumatic brain injury and/or PTSD. As a result, these veterans are at higher risk for a difficult transition to civilian life because of service-connected behavioral and mental health challenges.
Service members discharged from the military with an other than honorable lose access to certain benefits. These service members are also more likely to be in prison, homeless, diagnosed with substance use disorder, and die by suicide. The VA’s Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups survey reports that access to discharge upgrade support is a significant unmet need of veterans experiencing homelessness.
In 2018, we also funded an update of the Discharge Upgrade Practice Manual. Our grantees at Harvard’s Legal Services Corporation, Connecticut Veteran Legal Center and Swords to Plowshares worked with experts across the US. They created this resource for advocates who support veterans through the Department of Defense’s discharge upgrade process and the VA’s character of service determination process.
