September 5, 2014
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced September 3 that DoD will now consider service-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when considering a veteran’s petition to upgrade their discharge status.
The policy applies to veterans of any era who received a less than honorable discharge from service and received a subsequent documented PTSD diagnosis.
The new policy stems from recent attention paid to petitions from Vietnam veterans seeking to upgrade their discharge status based on previously unrecognized PTSD. In these cases, PTSD was not recognized as a diagnosis at the time of service and, in many cases, diagnoses were not made until decades after service was completed.
Review boards are being asked to liberally consider petitions for changes in discharge status for veterans who have PTSD, and to waive the typical 15 year time limit in these cases.
The effects of successful petition can be profound. Servicemembers who receive a less than honorable discharge can be denied access to many of the services, care, and benefits to which they could be entitled. It can also hurt job and housing prospects.
If you know of a veteran who may qualify for a review, direct them to the appropriate services discharge board websites: