Battle Scar Claims

Are you a Service Member who received less than an honorable discharge?

All branches of the military consider you to have a strong case for a discharge upgrade if you can show your discharge was connected to any of these categories:

Mental health conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Sexual assault or harassment during military service (at VA, we refer to this as military sexual trauma or MST)

Sexual orientation (including under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy)

FYI! Applying again is most likely to be successful if your application is significantly different from when you last applied. For example, you may have additional evidence that wasn’t available to you when you last applied, or the Departent of Defense (DoD) may have issued new rules regarding discharges. DoD rules changed for discharges related to PTSD, TBI, and mental health in 2014, military sexual harassment and assault in 2017, and sexual orientation in 2011.


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