Readers of Tom Philpott's Military Update column sound off

Tightening of Personality Disorder Separations Lauded

Thank you for updating us on the Department of Defense's crackdown on service discharges of war veterans because of "personality disorder."

As a Veteran Service Officer, it is frustrating to have wartime veterans arrive at my desk in rural Sidney, Ohio, with a DD-214 form that reads "Personality Disorder."  I've seen 10 to 15 of these in a county with a veteran population of 3,882.  There probably are more who haven't come forward.

One DD-214 stated specifically that personality disorder was not a condition eligible for DoD disability compensation. Yet within a 12-month window following discharge, this veteran was diagnosed by civilian mental health professionals as being bipolar and needing inpatient care. We filed the disability claim to the Department of Veterans Affairs with the attached medical evidence, and the veteran is now receiving 100-percent service-connected compensation.

With the improved discharge screening now in place, hopefully the DOD is properly documenting a "true" physical and mental condition vice the old method of marking everything normal, qualifying the veteran for discharge and sending them home.

I put my back out five times over 20 years.  My medical exam resulted in a prescription for Motrin. Not once did I have an x-ray or MRI taken that might have indicated a chronic condition.  As far as the VA was concerned I had an acute condition that, with treatment, went away.  I still experience back problems, more frequently with age and weight gain over the years.

 Financially I don't need the VA disability compensation, and I have TRICARE health insurance for the rest of my life.  But this is not the case for so many other deserving disabled veterans.

Veterans discharged for personality disorder need to know that, with proper mental health examinations the underlying cause of PD might be diagnosed and, more times than not, they can be a qualifier for VA disability.

ED BALL
Sidney, Ohio

Thank you for the piece on the military's use of "personality disorder" discharges.  I am 25 years old and was one of the first soldiers to go into Iraq in April of 2003, and one of the first soldiers home in October of 2003.

I believe I was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder but I was labeled as having a personality disorder and discharged soon after I arrived back at my stateside base.  I was very young, 21, and accepted it because I didn't know any better.  All I knew was I did not want to go back to Iraq within a month of joining a new company and only two months stateside.

As I get older I am becoming more aware of those words, "personality disorder," prominently displayed on my DD-214.  At first I didn't see this as a huge problem though I felt enough shame to keep it from my friends and family.  I have since realized, through stories like yours, that I might not have a personality disorder.  The military took the easy way out.  Because I was one of the first soldiers back from Iraq, they perhaps had no idea what there were doing.

The dilemma for me might come when I apply, as I could like to do, to work in a school.  If the district checks my DD-214 and sees "personality disorder," it could cost me a job, no matter how "normal" I am.

Is the military considering a review of these "personality disorder" cases?  Or will those of us who are happy and healthy, and always have been, be labeled for the rest of our lives? 

SADIE S.
San Diego, Calif.

A Government Accountability Office report released last month points out that the services had to meet three criteria, under DoD regulations, to separate you for personality disorder.  First, you must have been notified of the pending separation because of personality disorder.  Second, you must have been diagnosed with a personality disorder by a psychiatrist or psychologist who determined that the disorder interfered with your ability to function in the military.  Third, you must have received formal counseling about your problem and being unable to function in the military.  These rules were in effect even before DoD tightened they further this fall.

If these three criteria were not met prior to your discharge, you would have grounds to appeal to your service Board for the Correction of Military Records. More information on that process, and links to service-unique boards, is found at: www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/correcting-records.html  -- T.P.

Disabled 'Retiree' Clarified

In your column on personality disorder discharges, you state, "A disability rating of 30 percent or higher, which most PTSD sufferers receive, can mean lifelong access to military health care and on-base shopping."

I have always thought only retirees could go on-base shopping, disabled or not.  One can't just show base gate guards a VA card.  So, how does one obtain permission to go on-base shopping at any base?

BRUCE B.
Via e-mail

I should have made clear that I was referring to Department of Defense disability ratings -- not disability ratings from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  If the DoD finds that a service member has a disability rated 30 percent or higher, the member qualifies for disability retirement and status as a military retiree which means access to TRICARE and to on-base shopping.  A VA disability rating of 30 percent or higher does not bestow to a veterans status as a military retiree.   Sorry for the confusion. – T. P.

Letters may be edited for clarity or length.  Write to Military Forum, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA  20120-1111, send e-mail to militaryforum@aol.com or visit www.militaryupdate.com.