The military’s has 5 main classifications of discharge:
- Honorable discharge
- Discharge under honorable conditions or a general discharge
- Discharge under other than honorable conditions or undesirable discharge
- Bad conduct discharge
- Dishonorable discharge or dismissal
In order to be eligible to receive benefits from the VA, your discharge must be “other than dishonorable”. If you have an honorable discharge, a discharge under honorable conditions or a general discharge then you will most likely qualify. If you have any other type of discharge it is unlikely, but not impossible that you will qualify.
The only discharge that fully bars you from getting benefits is a dishonorable discharge. Many Veterans file an application to have their discharge upgraded prior to filing for VA benefits. Although our office does not handle military discharge upgrade cases, contact us and we will be happy to provide you with a referral to a firm that may be able to assist you.
Related Posts
Can Disabled Veterans Get Social Security Disability?
Disabled veterans may qualify for both Social Security disability benefits and veterans disability compensation. If you meet the separate requirements of each type of benefit,
VA Pension vs VA Compensation
Although both programs pay benefits to disabled Veterans, there are several differences between Veterans Pension and Veterans Compensation benefits. Veterans Pension Pension benefits are available
Can Veterans Work While Applying for VA Benefits?
When I talk with veterans who are applying for compensation benefits, they often want to know if working while applying for VA benefits will hurt