What Happens When Veterans Receive Bad Paper Discharges?

I was HONORABLY medically discharged. I have a well-documented permanent PHYSICAL condition as the result of an injury in the line of duty. My MMRB determined that I couldn't perform the duties of my job because of it. After I was reassigned to Med Hold, I went through a series of briefings while waiting for my records to be reviewed by an MEB and a PEB. One of those briefings was all about filling out a VA claim form. That form was sent to VA on the date of my discharge. An optional form was a request for DAV or American Legion to advocate on my behalf with VA. Although nearly everyone in the room had well-documented physical injuries, it was highly recommended that we all choose to have DAV advocate for us. It helped A LOT. I only had to wait four months for my initial VA evaluation.

Always happy to hear success stories coming from within the system. Wish they were a little more consistent thol

This is what I said about a "general" discharge, "Even a 'general' discharge is considered 'bad paper' and precludes one from receiving VA education benefits." Both your sources and mine show that. The rest of my initial statement was about an "other than honorable" discharge. They are different. Therefore, I did not make a blanket statement about a "general."

There is a completely different discharge for those who are unsuitable for military service, an "entry-level separation." This type of discharge is granted within the first 180 days of service. It is for failure to adapt.

All of this still misses the point of the article.

SPC Jill Drushal, RN, MA - You win, what does one know to
Hat spent a career in the military and left carrying an honorable discharge. To begin with your post regarding a general discharge being "bad" paper and still receiving many benefits seems contradictory.

I agree. It does seem contradictory. Maybe the entire title of the discharge helps to explain it. It is a "general discharge under honorable conditions."

Like I said, this debate is irrelevant to the point of the article. The idea is that individuals with PTSD are being misdiagnosed and given "bad paper" discharges, often to just get them out of the system. This precludes them from receiving any VA benefits. These are the veterans who need VA medical/psychological services the most. Not you with retired access to Tricare benefits or my husband and myself with the same thing.

Without VA assistance, these are the individuals who tend to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. They also are one of the largest groups of veterans who just give up and commit suicide because there is no government help for them. They are just given a discharge and told to go away.