The Department of Veterans Affairs recently went live with a tool to help veterans seeking to upgrade the character of their discharge. Available through the vets.gov website, the tool asks veterans a series of questions after which it gives the veteran advice on what paperwork to file, where to submit it, and whether it might be helpful to seek the advice of a veterans service organization or legal counsel.
More than 13,000 servicemembers separated in recent years and given an Other Than Honorable discharge were diagnosed with PTSD, TBI or other conditions such as adjustment, anxiety, bipolar or substance abuse disorders within two years before leaving the service. These statistics and others are detailed in a report issued by the Government Accountability Office in early 2017. The Department of Defense is instructed to give “liberal consideration” to discharge upgrade applications where the service member was separated for conduct related to these and other conditions.
