Asked 12 months ago - Humboldt, TN
Flagi was discharged in 2005 for a personality disorder. i didnt relize at the time what that meant. now its hard to gain certain employement and i get no benifits. is there anything i can do? i believe if they wanted to discharge me for being depressed it should have been medical because i was never that way before.
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your military service.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, you may be entitled to veterans’ disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If it is determined that you are service connected for your personality disorder, then you may be eligible for compensation benefits, medical benefits, or both. I would recommend that you request a copy of your service treatment records if you do not already have one and file a claim for benefits at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/e.... In addition, there are also educational and vocational rehabilitation benefits that could assist you in becoming more marketable in these challenging economic times.
There are several Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) that can assist you in filing and adjudicating your claim. If your claim is denied and you seek to appeal or request a reopening of a negative decision, there are several VA accredited attorneys and claims assistants that can also assist you in adjudicating this matter.
The other attorney gave you the general provisions for filing for VA benefits. However what seems to be not asked or answered is what type of character of service did you receive? To receive veteran benefits a veteran generally has to have an honorable discharge.
If your not asking solely about VA benefits, but are looking at a discharge upgrade then you will need to begin the upgrade with the Army discharge review Board. Hiring a good attorney for a discharge upgrade is very important.
If you are seeking VA benefits and would like to talk I would be happy to Talk with youif you send me an e-mail at Bob@gosslaw.com
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Thank you for your service.
As noted by my esteemed colleagues, there are a number of different VA benefits programs you may be eligible for and for most it is important that you be aware of your discharge status and upgrade it if possible / necessary. This may require different attorneys as both of these areas are somewhat technical.
You can search here on Avvo, contact your state department of veterans affairs, seek out a veterans service organization in your area, ask you local or state bar association for a referral, or go to www.nova.org (the national organization of veterans advocates) to find a representative to consult with.
Best of luck to you.
Don't speak legalese? We define thousands of terms in plain English.
Browse our legal dictionary