CNN
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday that more than 800 records of service members removed from the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy were recently upgraded to honorable discharge status.
“Just over a year ago, I announced that for the first time, my department would begin actively investigating the military records of veterans discharged during the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ period because of their sexual orientation. “They are eligible for an upgrade to their discharge characteristics or a change in the reason for separation, but they had not applied yet,” Austin said. “After a year of extraordinary work, the Military Department Review Board ordered relief in 96.8 percent of the 851 cases it actively reviewed.”
Austin announced in September 2023 that the Department of Defense would “launch a new outreach campaign” to reach LGBTQ+ service members who may have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation. In 2011, Congress formally repealed the policy banning openly bisexual, gay, and lesbian men from serving in the military.
A military member’s discharge status determines what benefits he or she is eligible for after military service. For example, individuals who have been discharged from the military for dishonorable or egregious conduct may not receive full benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Last year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said troops could be “denied access to veteran benefits such as mortgages, health care, GI Bill tuition assistance, and even some government jobs.” He was ordered to be discharged from the military due to his gender.”
Austin said Tuesday that hundreds of recent changes made in Proactive Review now mean that 96% of all service members who were kicked out of the military for “don’t ask, don’t tell” and served long enough to receive a medal. A military member has been recognized for his service and given an honorable discharge.
“We will continue to strive to do the right thing by all American patriots who have honorably served our country,” Austin said Tuesday.
