How to Apply for a Military Discharge Upgrade

How to Apply for a Military Discharge Upgrade will focus on the following types of discharges, Bad Conduct Discharge, Dishonorable Discharge, and Other than honorable discharge.

? Learn more about the VA Claims Process here: http://www.combatcraig.com
? Join the conversation on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/F6s5VWuzWk

0:00 intro
2:00 Intent to file a VA claim
6:11 How to apply for a military discharge upgrade
8:58 Bad Conduct Discharge
9:31 Dishonorable Discharge
10:10 Other than honorable discharge
11:20 Changing the narrative for your discharge
12:23 Military Discharge details
13:31 How to apply for a discharge upgrade (step by step) training
15:00 medical reasoning for your military discharge upgrade
16:40 Narrative reason for discharge
18:05 Your steps for upgrading your discharge
20:29 Board for correction of Air Force Records
20:40 DOD Form 149

Types of Military Discharges

Honorable: You are eligible for VA health care, disability benefits, and GI Bill education benefits.

General Under Honorable: You are eligible for VA health care & disability benefits.

Other Than Honorable: You will need to ask for a discharge upgrade (federal) or Character of Service Determination (local VA regional office) in order to be eligible for health care & disability benefits. There are some exceptions if you have been diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health disorders due to your time in service.

Bad Conduct/Dishonorable: Not eligible for any VA benefits without a discharge upgrade.

Uncharacterized: Neither positive nor negative. Usually means service was not long enough to characterize the type of discharge.

Bad Conduct discharge is a punishment for a military crime. It results in confinement to a military prison for a short period of time. No benefits are available to veterans with a bad conduct discharge.

A dishonorable discharge is also a punitive action against a military member. Serious offenses such as murder or desertion of one’s duty will cause a court-martial to order a dishonorable discharge.

A judgment of Other Than Honorable Discharge occurs when a military member is in trouble with the civilian court system, for reasons like a felony conviction leading to imprisonment.

Complete an Application for Review of Discharge From the Armed Services of the United States. You can complete it online, or get it from a local Department of Defense installation or the regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Either submit the application online or mail it to the address below for your branch of the service. Be very thorough in your application about all the reasons you believe you are entitled to an upgrade.