WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 —
The Defense Department released guidance today to clarify the
liberal consideration given to veterans who request upgrades of their
discharge saying they had mental health conditions or were victims of
sexual assault or sexual harassment.
The new guidance clarifies that the liberal consideration
policy includes conditions resulting from post-traumatic stress
disorder, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault or sexual harassment,
said Air Force Lt. Col. Reggie Yager, the acting director of legal
policy in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
The policy is meant to ease the burden on veterans and give
them a reasonable opportunity to establish the extenuating circumstances
of their discharge, Yager said.
Cases involving invisible wounds such as PTSD or other mental
health conditions, whether from combat or sexual assault, are some of
the most complex and difficult cases to review, he said.
Liberal Consideration for Invisible-Wound Impacts
Mental health conditions, including those from PTSD, sexual
assault and sexual harassment, affect veterans in many different ways,
Yager said. "Liberal consideration, in our view, is the right balance to
ensure we are making fact-based decisions while also giving appropriate
leeway to the challenges posed by these invisible wounds," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment