Veterans with other-than honorable discharges have often faced difficulties in securing health care benefits. A new VA rule could change that.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has made a major change in the rules for veterans who left military service with other-than honorable discharges. It opens the possibility of healthcare coverage for those who may have been discharged for willful misconduct or even moral turpitude. For detail, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Anthony Kuhn, managing partner of the law firm Tully Rinckey.
Interview transcript: Tom Temin Veterans Affairs has made a major change in the rules for veterans who left military service with other than honorable discharges. It opens the possibility of health care coverage for those who may have been discharged for willful misconduct or even moral turpitude. Details from the managing partner of the law firm Tully Rinckey, Anthony Kuhn. Anthony, good to have you back. Anthony Kuhn Thanks for having me. Always a pleasure. Join us June 25 and 26 at 1 p.m. EST for Federal News Network’s Cloud Exchange, presented by Maximus, where we’ll explore civilian agency progress in using the cloud to improve digital services and federal missions. | Register today! Tom Temin So, this is — seems revolutionary in the history of VA, because it’s been axiomatic that you have to have a good discharge to get benefits. So, what’s going on here? Anthony Kuhn Yes, it is. You know, there’s been some steps in this direction in the past, but the VA hasn’t really committed to this initiative like they have with this new rule change. So, in the past, individuals who were separated for mental health conditions and, primarily they’re looking to try to take care of individuals who develop those conditions in combat. But it doesn’t — it’s not exclusive. So, there’s going to be other situations where individuals maybe developed PTSD symptoms or mental health issues in their military service, maybe in training, or even traumatic experiences that they suffered while on active duty. So, the VA here is — they’re changing the rule to try to […]
VA rule change could mean health care benefits for a million more veterans
