• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

New Webpage Allows Vets With PTSD to Apply for Discharge Upgrade

December 18, 2014 By admin

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 18, 2014) – Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who were discharged under “other than honorable” conditions can apply on a new webpage to have their discharge upgraded if it was due to PTSD.

The Army launched a webpage for the veterans to get information and ultimately enable them to apply for the change in status, said Col. Matthew B. Coleman, the military assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of the Army at the Army Review Boards Agency.

Veterans can find the information at http://arba.army.pentagon.mil, he said.

“Veterans are Soldiers for life,” Coleman said. “I want to encourage our veterans out there to apply.”

The Army is committed to making sure the veterans receive fair consideration of their service and the conditions that may have mitigated the misconduct that led to their discharge, he said.

The Army launched the site in accordance with a Department of Defense memorandum from September, he said.

“We want to demonstrate our commitment for considering every petition that is brought by veterans claiming PTSD, and requesting an upgrade of their discharge,” Coleman said.

“We inculcate the core values of the agency, which are justice, equity and compassion — and those are the merits by which we look at each and every case,” he said.

PTSD was not recognized as a diagnosis at the time of service in past conflicts such as the Vietnam War, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in his memorandum, dated Sept. 3.

In many cases, Hagel said, diagnoses were not made until decades after service was completed. The memorandum provided guidance to the military department Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records, as they considered the upgrades. The memorandum seeks to ease the application process for the veterans.

The Army wants to get the message out to veterans from all past conflicts and is reaching out to veteran groups to spread the word.

“Upgrades are very important because they are linked to benefits that they could receive through the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as being able to get medical treatment — that’s probably most important with those who are suffering from invisible injuries of PTSD or PTSD-related symptoms,” Coleman said.

The Army has come a long way and done a “tremendous job” over the years of trying to erase the stigma associated with PTSD. The Army is reaching out to Soldiers and trying to get them to seek help, Coleman said.

“I think this puts the stigma aside and I think the liberal guidance in considering these cases is an important piece of that to gain the confidence of the veterans out there who may have had some sort of misconduct that was related to these symptoms,” he said.

The Army at this point, he said, does not have an estimate on how many applications it could receive.

Veterans who were previously denied an upgrade could reapply. The Army Board for Correction of Military Records would consider such an application as a new case.

The guidance only applies to veterans with “other than honorable” discharges.

Filed Under: Army, daniel articles, Top News

Recent Posts

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Autobiography Compares Living Faithfully With Navy SEAL Training (BUD/S).

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.