Stephen Kemp ⋅ Peoria, AZ City of Peoria, Arizona ⋅ 32 years experience

I agree with Bob, in the past, there were discharges, that today the Military may not issue, seeking an upgraded discharge would be my recommendation.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Edward,
Exite getting your discharge upgraded.

Contact Swords to Plowshares, and request assistance and if needed referrals.
http://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/legal-services/military-discharge-upgrades/

Robert Jurasek ⋅ Hollywood, FL Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ⋅ 45 years experience

Dear Edward,

The Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge does not in itself exclude you from all benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs has their own criteria for determining what benefits, if any, they will extend to you. I suggest that you contact any one of the several veteran service organizations, like Disabled American Veterans (DAV) (www.dav.org), before you apply for benefits.

The DAV services are free and membership is not required. You will be asked to complete two forms-- one to request a copy of your complete service record, and the other to notify the VA that DAV (or another veteran service organization, or legal counsel) will be representing you.

Unfortunately, the OTH discharge does exclude you from a lot of other valuable benefits like the 5- or 10-point veterans' preference, which can sometimes put you at the top of the list when competing with non-veterans for Federal employment.

For this and other reasons, you may want to have your discharge reviewed for possible upgrade, if you have not already appealed the decision. The following website might provide you with additional information on what to expect: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/dischargeupg.htm.

Sincerely,
Bob Jurasek