Did you get a "less-than-honorable" discharge from the military?
If so, you may be aware that some state and federal veterans benefits may be unavailable to you. What you may not be aware of is the fact that you can request to have your discharge status reviewed and possibly changed.
If you previously applied for a discharge upgrade and were denied, you can be reconsidered under the new, easier standards.
If you were discharged for disciplinary reasons, you should consider going to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist to see if either PTSD or TBI contributed to your discharge.
New Resource Available
If the process sounds confusing or difficult, there is a new, free resource that may help you to understand everything you need to know about filing a discharge appeal, from how to make your case to instructions on filing an appeal.
Stateside Legal, in partnership with the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic, has released an online legal resource for veterans nationwide seeking to correct stigmatizing and harmful “less-than-honorable” discharges from the military.
This new digital resource complements the VA's new discharge upgrade tool, provides a link to that tool for veterans wishing to learn more on topics not covered by this classroom, and connects veterans with the Veterans Consortium Discharge Upgrade Program. For more information, visit the Stateside Legal website at http://statesidelegal.org/classroom/4575/791182.
Other Resources Available
You can still apply for a discharge upgrade if you do not have PTSD, TBI or a mental heath condition.
If you know that mental health issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) did not affect your discharge, you may want to look at other resources as well.
The VA online discharge upgrade tool may be a useful starting point. It includes other issues that may have affected your discharge status, like sexual orientation or sexual assault.
Either way, you should know that many free resources are available to you.
