Expert: John L - 4/11/2011

Question
I joined the Army Reserve in 1985.  At the time of my recruitment I shared with the recruiter that I had an offense expunged from my police record.  I know it was expunged because I had checked.  I had 24 college credits and did commercial voice-over work by audition with agencies.  I don't know how I got an administrative work assignment, but I completed it and returned to my home assignment.  I did not care for it but did all my assignments with an excellent attitude.  These included kitchen detail, clerical work for the colonel (driving included#, and clerking in the judicial area and personnel office. These were comments I received from those I worked with.  About six years into my assignment I came across my record laid out on a desk and the offense that I had shared with the recruiter was in my criminal record history!  I had not seen this before and was surprised to see it in my record. (It was for shoplifting as a teen.  I was placed on probation and two years later it was removed from my record.)  I was 32 years old at the time I spoke with the recruiter. I guess this tells me that the recruiter did not check my record through regular channels.  Was this legal?  Should information I shared with the recruiter have been in my record as opposed to an actual background check?  That was the last day I recall attending drills because at that time, I had informed someone (I don't recall how many people I talked with that day# that I would be having surgery (hysterectomy).  I discovered my record at the end of the day.  Well, medical complications arose; I was on disability with my civilian employer.  I informed the USAR, but never returned to the monthly weekend drills.  I was disenchanted with the unit, the unprofessional members I had to work with, etc.  The unit to which I was attached moved from my area within a year of my not returning and participating in a drill assignment.  I never received notification of its location and am now trying to locate it.  I have lived at the same address for over 23 years.  I have never received anything from the military regarding my discharge status.
I am now 57 years of age and my health requires me to apply for social security disability.  I have requested my discharge papers online and now I am waiting to receive my status. I spoke with a person who told my that I was discharged because my name was in the system #name only) but no other information was included.  She instructed my to put in a request for my discharge.  What possible discharge can I expect?  How will my discharge status impact my disability application?

Answer
Your discharge status will have nothing to do with social security.  Your discharge will will most likley be "unsatisfactory participant" for not drilling with your unit.  It will be a gerneral discharge.

Nothing to worry about, but sometimes tracking down records from the reserves is hard as their record keeping was not very effecient back then.