Carr on discharge statuses and lost benefits under DADT
Carr explains that veterans discharged under DADT received less than honorable discharges, denying them GI education benefits, VA health benefits, burials in VA National Cemeteries, and other essential benefits.
The military continues in all cases to issue service members a characterization of service upon their discharge or discharge status.
And most service members receive an honorable discharge status, which entitles each of them to their VA benefits.
But those who are discharged under DADT received a less than honorable discharge.
such as a general discharge under honorable conditions, and other than honorable discharge, a bad conduct discharge, or even in some cases a dishonorable discharge.
As a result, they cannot access some of the essential benefits awarded to those who have served our country, such as the GI education benefits, VA health benefits, burials in the VA National Cemetery, and many, many more.
When Congress repealed DADT in 2011, the military established a process for veterans discharged under the policy to remove justifications related to their sexual orientation from their paperwork and upgrade their discharge status to honorable.