Veterans who receive Other Than Honorable (OTH) characterizations of service upon discharge often have limited to no access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. This paper explains the connections between OTH discharges and veterans’ benefits eligibility and suggests how VA and Congress can enhance care for this vulnerable group.
Authors
Craig, Jim, Mayhugh, Mary Lowe, Ramchand, Rajeev, Holliday, Stephanie Brooks, Clague, Angela K., Salazar, Heather M.
- Division
- RAND Education and Labor RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute
- Pages
- 24
- Published in
- United States
- RAND Identifier
- PE-A1363-13
- RAND Type
- commentary
- Rights
- RAND Corporation
- Series
- Expert Insights
- Source
- https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA1363-13.html
Table of Contents
- Department of Defense Discharge Characterizations and Eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits 2
- Benefits-Qualifying Discharge Characterizations Honorable and General 3
- U.S. Department of Defenses Characterizations at Discharge 3
- Benefits-Restricting Characterizations Other Than Honorable Bad Conduct and Dishonorable or Dismissal 4
- Department of Veterans Affairs Character-of-Discharge Review Process 5
- Character-of-Discharge Determination Eligibility for Selected Benefits 7
- Can Veterans Upgrade Their Discharge 8
- Bars to Benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 8
- Character-of-Discharge Determination and Benefits Eligibility 9
- The Intention of the Department of Defense Upgrade Process 10
- The Department of Defense Upgrade Process Is Challenging in Practice 10
- Characteristics of Veterans Who Received Other Than Honorable Discharges 12
- Discharge Upgrades for Mental Health and Military Sexual Trauma Between January and March 2024 by Branch 12
- Service-Related Injuries and Benefits- Disqualifying Discharges 13
- Consequences of Other Than Honorable Discharges 14
- The risk of homelessness is 137 percent higher for veterans who received OTH discharges than for those who were discharged honorably. 14
- Recent VA Policy Changes Relevant to Veterans Issued Other Than Honorable Discharges 15
- A Pathway Forward Our Recommendations 15
- Address Commander Discretion in the Assignment of Discharge Characterization to Minimize Bias 15
- Provide Consistent and Specific Assistance for Those with Other Than Honorable Discharges to Transition from the Military 16
- Enhance Coordination Between the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense 17
- DoD reviewers found that the eight administrative separation requirements were not always followed. 17
- Strengthen Veterans Affairs Training Resources and Personnel 18
- A visualization would help clarify the benefit eligibility for veterans who separated with OTH discharges prior to and after character-of-discharge determination reviews. 18
- Increase Services to this Population Through Veteran Service Organizations 19
- Notes 19
- References 20
- About the Authors 23
