{"id":7557,"date":"2024-04-25T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7557"},"modified":"2024-04-25T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:00:00","slug":"va-expands-access-to-care-and-benefits-for-some-former-service-members-who-did-not-receive-an-honorable-or-general-discharge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7557","title":{"rendered":"VA expands access to care and benefits for some former service members who did not receive an honorable or general discharge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-04-25T13:00:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WASHINGTON <\/strong>\u2014 Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/public-inspection\/2024-09012\/update-and-clarify-regulatory-bars-to-benefits-based-on-character-of-discharge\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/public-inspection\/2024-09012\/update-and-clarify-regulatory-bars-to-benefits-based-on-character-of-discharge\" rel=\"noopener\">posted a final rule<\/a> amending its regulations regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/benefits.va.gov\/benefits\/character_of_discharge.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">character of discharge determinations<\/a>, expanding access to VA care and benefits for some former service members discharged under other than honorable conditions or by special court-martial.<\/p>\n<p>When former service members with other than honorable discharges and bad conduct discharges (adjudged at special court-martial) apply for VA benefits and services, we carefully review their records to determine if we can provide them the requested care and benefits. This process helps ensure that VA can provide services to deserving former service members \u2013 including certain individuals who faced discrimination, survived sexual assault or harassment, struggled with their mental or physical health, or faced other challenges while serving in the military.<\/p>\n<p>VA\u2019s new regulation will expand access to care and benefits for certain former service members by:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Eliminating the regulatory bar for \u201chomosexual acts involving aggravating circumstances or other factors affecting the performance of duty\u201d as a bar to benefits.<\/strong> While VA had already <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/94920\/tenth-anniversary-of-the-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taken steps to ensure full and fair access to benefits<\/a>\u00a0for former service members discharged based on homosexual conduct, gender identity, or HIV status, this move further solidifies VA\u2019s commitment to reducing disparity for these groups in the adjudication process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Creating a \u201ccompelling circumstances exception\u201d for certain former service members:<\/strong> For certain former service members discharged for \u201cwillful and persistent misconduct\u201d or an \u201coffense involving moral turpitude,\u201d VA will now consider and determine if a compelling circumstances exception will permit VA to nonetheless provide care and services. Under this exception, VA will consider the former service member\u2019s length and character of service, mental and cognitive impairment, physical health, combat-related hardship, whether the person was the survivor of sexual abuse\/assault or discrimination, and more. This new exception creates a new path for VA to provide benefits and services to deserving former service members.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Opening the door for previously denied service members to reapply:<\/strong> Because of these changes, former service members previously found ineligible for VA services may now be eligible for benefits and are encouraged to re-apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>VA encourages former service members with other than honorable discharges and bad conduct discharges (adjudged at special court-martial) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/disability\/how-to-file-claim\/\" rel=\"noopener\">apply<\/a> for VA care and benefits today. Over the past 10 years, VA\u2019s eligibility determination rate for these former service members has been 75% \u2013<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>meaning that VA provided care or benefits to 75% of them (57,000+ former service members).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe encourage former service members with other than honorable discharges to apply for VA care and benefits today,\u201d said <strong>VA Secretary Denis McDonough.<\/strong> \u201cAlthough VA cannot change your discharge status, we want to provide you with any health care or benefits we can \u2013 and we will work with you every step of the way to do exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo often, former service members believe that they cannot come to VA due to their discharge status \u2013 but the truth is that many former service members who were not discharged honorably can get health care or benefits from VA,\u201d said <strong>Under Secretary for Benefits, Josh Jacobs<\/strong>. \u201cWhen you apply \u2013 as with all VA benefits \u2013 we will do everything in our power to get to yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>VA has conducted extensive outreach to service members with other than honorable and bad conduct discharges adjudged at special court-martial in recent years, increasing the number who applied for VA care or benefits from approximately 1,700 in 2012 to more than 10,000 in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The VA character of discharge determination does not change the Armed Forces\u2019 characterization of service and has no effect on the former Service member\u2019s military discharge status. VA\u2019s determination is for VA benefits and services eligibility purposes only.<\/p>\n<p>Any discharge characterized as \u201chonorable\u201d or \u201cgeneral \u2013 under honorable conditions\u201d satisfies the character of discharge requirement for basic eligibility for most VA benefits. Former service members who did not receive those discharges are not automatically disqualified from receiving VA care or benefits. However, barring a ruling of insanity, VA does not provide benefits to service members who are discharged with a \u201cdishonorable discharge;\u201d service members who were discharged for desertion, mutiny, going AWOL for 180 continuous days, or espionage; or service members discharged by sentence of a general court martial, discharged in lieu of trial, discharged as a \u201cresignation by an officer for the good of the service,\u201d or discharged as a conscientious objector. VA does apply a compelling circumstances exception for AWOL when appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about former service members <a href=\"https:\/\/benefits.va.gov\/benefits\/character_of_discharge.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">applying<\/a> for benefits and character of discharge. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/press-room\/va-rule-amending-regulations-discharge-determinations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Veterans Affairs posted a final rule amending its regulations regarding character of discharge determinations, expanding access to VA care and benefits for some former service members discharged under other than honorable conditions or by special court-martial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-telehealth-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA expands access to care and benefits for some former service members who did not receive an honorable or general discharge - 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