Noteboom The Law Firm

Improper Discharges Affect Veterans’ Health Care

October 12, 2010 - Without the ability to be get help, veterans suffering from diseases like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will not get better. When there is nobody to turn to, the often times violent outbursts accompanying PTSD are directed at family members. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has an obligation to aid every veteran needing help. This isn't always the case, however.

When necessary medication is not available, many soldiers and veterans self-medicate. For many it is the only way to handle the mental health issues that often accompany being an Iraq and/or Afghanistan veteran. This situation is more common than most want to admit. Some soldiers use illegal drugs to self-medicate and being caught using these drugs can lead to being given a negative discharge status, or "bad paper." Not successfully adjusting to military life leads to "bad paper" discharges as well.

That "bad paper" can bar veterans from receiving VA health care, despite being entitled to that care for their time served. This happens enough to be considered a trend by many people. Being discharged for war-imposed mental health disorders, misconduct, and adjustment disorders, for example, are becoming more commonplace. Discharging soldiers with mental health issues and denying them benefits following their discharge benefits nobody. 

If testimony given at a Congressional VA hearing last month is correct, the reason is due to cost cutting. To have financial interests being the driving forces behind improperly discharging soldiers is completely shocking, to say the least. Separations for misconduct among Army soldiers climbed from 5,926 in 2005 to an unsettling 7,496 in 2009. Drug abuse discharges are included in those numbers, but their specific climb went from 1,971 to 2,706. The Marines experienced similar numbers and where they had 637 discharges for patterns of misconduct in 2005, they had 824 in 2009. In that same time period, discharges for drug related issues rose from 1,143 to 1,581. 

Despite being already being caught discharging soldiers improperly to avoid post-service health care costs, it seems the practice has returned. The Department of Defense (DoD) denies improperly discharging soldiers to save money. If this country is going to send its citizens to fight for it, it must also take care of them when they return.