You are here:
Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/gi benefits
Advertisement
Question
In a month I could be discharged for mental healtyh issue. What kind of discharge would i get? Would I be eligable for my G I binefits such a monntgomery G I bill?
Hi Mike,
A "mental health" discharge is *almost* always an "honorable" discharge, unless there are issues in your military records which make processing you for a "general" or "other than honorable" discharge, more appropriate. In other words, if you have a long list of counselings and reprimands for committing offenses under the UCMJ, your commander could choose to process you for administrative discharge under the procedures for "disciplinary infractions" instead of medical. In such cases, it would be doubtful that the discharge characterization would be "honorable."
When you are "served" the letter which states the commander intends to recommend you for administrative discharge, it will include the reason for the discharge, and the characterization that the commander is going to recommend (entry-level, honorable, general, other than honorable).
Under current law, you must have an *honorable* discharge (not entry-level, general, or other-than-honorable) in order to retain your Montgomery GI. Bill benefits.
Additionally, he must serve for a minimum of 3 years (if you enlisted for 4 years), in many cases, in order to receive the benefits. Details are in my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/education/a/admgib.htm
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
Related Articles
- U.S. Military FAQ -- How can I upgrade my military discharge?
- Use Post 911 GI Bill Benefits at Humboldt State University in California - Veterans Education
- Using Post 911 GI Bill Benefits and Veterans Benefits at Excelsior College for Continuing Education
- GI Bill Education Benefits - Getting Your College Tuition Paid for Under the GI Bill's Education Benefits Program
- Use Post 911 GI Benefits at Golden Gate University - Veterans Benefits for Non-Traditional Students
Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.