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Veterans' Notes

By VVAW

Carter's Program: How And Who
Discharge Upgrading

Years of battle for universal, unconditional amnesty are behind the April announcement by the Defense Department that certain groups of veterans with bad discharges could get these discharges upgraded without going through the usual, slow-moving bureaucracy. Carter's discharge program goes nowhere near far enough; VVAW continues to demand a single-type discharge as we have for the past 5 years. And even this small concession on the part of the government is now under attack as Congress tries to shoot down any vets benefits (VA care, GI Bill) for vets who apply for discharges under this program (see article on page 1.)

Despite its many shortcomings, the discharge program may offer some help to thousands of vets who got various kinds of bad paper. Since, in typical fashion, the Veterans Administration and the Pentagon will make no effort to give vets the details of the program, "Vets' Notes" prints the steps necessary to make use of this program.

Eligibility

1. Vets with discharges except honorable or punitive (bad conduct or dishonorable discharges as a result of a court martial) are eligible.
2. The veteran must have been in the military between August 4, 1968 and March 28, 1973.
3. Undesirable and general discharges will be automatically upgraded for vets who:
• Were wounded as a result of military action
• Got a US military decoration other than a service medal
• In Pentagonese, the vet must have "successfully completed an assignment in Southeast Asia." What this bureaucratic nonsense (which refuses to call Vietnam a war) means is that a Vietnam vet who got his bad discharge after his tour in Nam is eligible.
• Took part in the "clemency" program that President Ford trotted our right after his pardon of crook Nixon.
• Had an honorable discharge from a previous tour of duty.
• Put in two "good" years in the military before discharge.

Any of these qualifications mean that the discharge is automatically eligibly for upgrading providing (another Pentagon kicker) "there are no compelling reasons to the contrary." While it is not clear yet how this will affect vets who apply for upgrading, what it does mean is that the government and the discharge boards will have their dirty thumbs on vets with bad paper, and can trot out the law concerning "compelling reasons" if they want to.

Procedures

Call the toll-free number (800) 325-4040 [if you are in Missouri, Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, the number is (314) 428-3500]. This is the number of the Joint Liaison Office in St. Louis, Missouri, where they say there are 50 open phone lines between 7 AM and 8 PM (Central Time). An operator will ask, Are you applying for the Special Discharge Review Program? What kind of discharge did you get? If, according to these answers, you are not eligible for the program, the operator will then direct you to the normal, red-tape clogged discharge review system.

If you fall into one of the categories which makes the upgrading automatic, you will be asked for personal information in order to begin the application process. If you have already applied for upgrading, your application is automatically shifted to the Joint Liaison Office. Within 14 days you will get a letter of acknowledgement which may also ask for further information; you will have 30 days to supply this information.

If you have a UD and don't fall into one of these categories, you can still give it a try; the Pentagon says it will accept such evidence as character references, statements from people who "know the applicant and can attest to his or her good citizenship and efforts in self-improvement" !!, employment records or school transcripts. In other words, there's still a chance for you if you've been a good boy or girl since the military slapped your hands with a bad discharge, and taught you a lesson.

If, instead of calling the toll-free number, you want to write, the address is Joint Liaison Office (Attention: Army or Navy or USMC or Air Force Liaison Team), USARCPAC, St. Louis, MO 63132. Calling is more efficient since the people in St. Louis can ask their questions on the spot.

There are other, more complicated provisions in the Pentagon directive which deal with deserters and long-time AWOLs, many of whom are also eligible for the program. If you fall into that category, you can call the toll-free number (from a pay phone, just to be on the safe side) and get further information, or get in touch with the nearest VVAW chapter or the VVAW national office. The basic procedure is to return to the military, get an immediate discharge, and then go through the upgrading program, but there are all kinds of red-tape complications involved.

The Joint Liaison Office was established for only 6 months beginning the 5th of April, 1977. That means that vets who want to apply for this program have to do so before October 5, 1977.

What good is it? If vets benefits are not eliminated for these upgraded discharges, there are obvious reasons. Even if the bennies are cut off, there is still the question of getting a job and being able to show a good discharge to the prospective employer -- though from long experience around such sneaky devices as SPN numbers, an old subterfuge by which the military could inform employers about any kind of "trouble-makers," there's no reason to believe that the upgraded discharges will not somehow be labeled.