Discharge Upgrades

Veterans Defense

At some point, every service member leaves the service and becomes a Veteran

Every veteran receives a service characterization, known as a discharge. A discharge is a characterization of a member’s service. Veterans are entitled to a variety of benefits once they leave the service, and these benefits are determined by a member’s service characterization. In some instances, a veteran may have left the service with a discharge that was not characterized as Honorable. This could mean an administrative characterization, such as a General Discharge or Under Other Than Honorable Conditions Discharge. In other cases, a member may receive a punitive discharge resulting from a court-martial conviction. For enlisted members, this means either a Bad Conduct or Dishonorable Discharge. For officers, this means a dismissal.

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A member can appeal his or her discharge classification

All veterans are eligible to apply to the Discharge Review Board for an upgrade to their discharge characterization. To receive a discharge upgrade, an individual must prove to the appropriate Discharge Review Board that his or her discharge reason or characterization was “inequitable” or “improper.”

Inequitable means the reason or characterization of the discharge is not consistent with the policies and traditions of the service. E.g., a member served for twenty years, and the member’s discharge is based upon ten minutes of misconduct. Improper means that the reason, or characterization, of the discharge, is in error (false or violates a regulation or law). Veterans have the right to request their discharge be upgraded.

While a discharge upgrade is not appropriate in every instance, it is appropriate under the right circumstances if requested in an appropriate amount of time. We have an experienced team ready to review your case today.

Call us today, and give our team the opportunity to earn your trust and business.

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