The Army has created a specific web page assist Vietnam-era Army veterans seeking punitive discharge upgrades related to behavior problems caused by post-traumatic stress disorder.
The web page provides information and applications to seek an upgrade to discharge from service and can be found at http://arba.army.pentagon.mil/adrb-ptsd.cfm.
It follows a Nov. 3 directive to the Army’s Review Boards Agency to give liberal consideration to requests for discharge upgrades from veterans who say they were kicked out of service because of problems related to PTSD. The Army Review Boards Agency handles the administrative review of personnel actions. The directive, by Secretary of the Army John McHugh, mirrored the September 3, 2014 directive of former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. That memorandum to secretaries of each of the military departments said review boards “will fully and carefully consider each petition based on PTSD brought by each veteran.”
An upgrade of a discharge classification for a veteran could mean access to benefits that were previously denied by the veteran’s other than honorable status, including disability compensation, separation pay, and education benefits under the GI Bill.
Hagel’s memorandum notes that post-traumatic stress disorder was not recognized as a diagnosis during the Vietnam War, and “in many cases, diagnoses were not made until decades after service was completed.”
It is estimated that approximately 75,000 to 80,000 Vietnam-era veterans — across all branches of service — who were discharged under other than honorable status may have had PTSD at the time their punitive discharge was made.
The Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA) is comprised of boards who consider different parts of a veteran’s appeal to correct or amend their personnel records, including the Army Board for Correction of Military Records, Army Grade Determination Board, and the Army Discharge Review Board. McHugh has also directed the Office of Army Surgeon General provide guidance to the review board on PTSD and its effects on soldiers and veterans.