Carr on burden on veterans to correct discharge records
Carr describes the burdensome process for veterans to correct discharge records, requiring assembly of old records, attorney assistance, waits of 18+ months, and costly court appeals, with unclear numbers of NY veterans still impacted.
Yet that process shamefully placed the burden on individual service members to correct their records.
After many of them had endured years of discrimination due to discharging dating back years, and decades in some cases.
To complete this procedure, veterans must assemble a variety of old records.
In most cases, the help of an attorney is required and typically wait 18 months or more for the board that decides these discharge status changes to upgrade those petitions with their respective military branch of service.
If they exhaust their administrative remedies, veterans must file an appeal in court for which they must seek the help of a lawyer, often at great cost.
It is unclear how many thousands of New York veterans are still impacted and still have not received the benefits they are due because they were discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.