Over 85 percent of veterans receive an honorable discharge when they leave military service. Veterans with an honorable discharge are entitled to all VA benefits and future employers will look favorably upon their service. If you are a veteran, you should be familiar with the benefits the VA offers.
Unfortunately, some military members leave the military with something other than an honorable discharge. While an honorable discharge is possible with an involuntary administrative separation, a “general, under honorable conditions” (General) and “under other than honorable conditions” (OTH) discharge are also authorized. Worst of all, military members who are convicted by a court martial can get a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge. A veteran receiving any of these less-than-honorable discharges will lose many VA benefits and will experience other prejudice from potential employers and the community.
If you’re facing an involuntary administrative separation or court martial that could result in a less-than-honorable discharge, you should know that your VA benefits and your future reputation are important enough to fight for. Don’t let this opportunity go without fighting back!
Table of Contents
- What Benefits do I Get With Honorable Discharge?
- How a Military Defender Can Help
- Honolulu Discharge Upgrade
What Benefits Do I Get With Honorable Discharge?
A veteran who receives an honorable discharge, meaning they either exceeded or met the military’s standards for performance and personal conduct, is eligible for all VA benefits and health care. These include:
- Disability Compensation
- Veteran’s pension programs
- Free or low-cost medical care through VA hospitals and medical facilities
- Education programs
- Housing and home loan guarantees
- Job training
- Small Businesses and business loans (Through Small Business Administration)
- Counseling
- Burials and memorials
Military benefits are always changing. We understand that leaving service without the discharge you had planned for is an upsetting experience. You don’t want to miss out on the benefits you deserve and need. Remember, you may not want some of them today or even tomorrow, but years down the road you’ll require expensive medical care you won’t have coverage for.
How a Military Defender Can Help
A military defender can help you fight for a better discharge both before and after you are separated from the military. If your command is trying to administratively separate you before your enlistment contract expires, an experienced military defender can help you fight the separation. If you are separated, a military defender will get you the best discharge possible. Even a military member discharged years ago can hire a military defender to apply for an upgrade to the discharge. The separation and discharge upgrade process are complicated. The assistance of a military defender is crucial to success.
A less-than-honorable discharge status from the military can cause veterans shame, stigma, and ineligibility for VA benefits. Far too many veterans assume that anything less than honorable discharge status automatically disqualifies someone from healthcare, disability compensation, educational assistance, and other wanted VA benefits. Thankfully, this is not true. Entitlement to benefits is unlikely if you received a less-than-honorable discharge, but there are some exceptions made by VA.
You want to ensure that you get the discharge characterization you deserve and need. The best time to secure a good discharge is when you are undergoing the separation process by your military service. But if you are in the unfortunate situation of having a less-than-honorable discharge, a military defender can help you apply to the Army, Navy, or Air Force discharge review board to upgrade the discharge.
Honolulu Discharge Upgrade
When you hire Ganz and Bridges Law Office, we’ll sit down with you and carefully explain all of your options. It may be possible to get you a discharge upgrade. A discharge upgrade changes the “character of service” shown on your DD-214 discharge certificate.
Veterans with a General Discharge, Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge, and even a Bad Conduct Discharge are eligible for potential discharge upgrades. An experienced military lawyer can help determine your likelihood of success in applying for an upgrade. If successful, the lost VA benefits and your reputation can be restored. This is precisely what our team can help you with!
After our team goes to work for you, you may be eligible for certain benefits, such as home loan guarantees and education, that will change your life. Mark A. Bridges has provided these important services for other veterans, and he can do it for you too. Don’t let this opportunity go!