Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee Chair Elaine Luria led an oversight hearing dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable veterans are given a fair VA character of discharge determination.
VA character of discharge determinations impact benefit entitlement possibilities for veterans, and anything less than honorable leaves many without support after they return home.
“We must determine how the most vulnerable veterans can access critical benefits and health care at the VA,” said Luria, D-Va. “Many veterans who are discharged under certain circumstances are at high risk for homelessness and suicide as they are often diagnosed with mental health conditions such as PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma. The VA’s rules and regulations must change to ensure any veteran—regardless of the character of their discharge—receives fair consideration for much needed benefits.”
Many veterans with “bad paper” believe they are ineligible for VA benefits; therefore, Congresswoman Luria questioned witnesses regarding the outreach and education they are doing to ensure more veterans can get the benefits they earned. Finally, Congresswoman Luria questioned what changes must be made to VA’s regulations on character of discharge to improve benefit eligibility.
This hearing builds on Congresswoman Luria’s work on the House Armed Services Committee. Last week, during the full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Luria passed an amendment to require the services to report on uncharacterized discharges, another form of “bad paper” that prohibits veterans from accessing the benefits they have earned.
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