Army misconduct discharges under scrutiny from Senate Democrats
An investigation revealed 22,000 soldiers with mental health issues were discharged for misconduct since 2009
yesterday at 8:00 am
By M1 Staff
A group of Democratic senators are questioning the ethics of tens of thousands of Army misconduct discharges after the soldiers were diagnosed for mental health issues.
The 12 congressmen, led by Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., sent a formal letter to the Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley asking for an inquiry into the thousands of soldiers discharged after being diagnosed with mental health problems such as PTSD or TBI.
Murphy was motivated after an investigation by National Public Radio’s Daniel Zwerdling and Colorado Public Radio’s Michael de Yoanna revealed 22,000 soldiers since 2009 with documented mental health issues have been discharged due to misconduct, which means they do not have access to medical benefits or treatment.
“I mean, the fact that there are 22,000 individuals who had a diagnosis who were then discharged, really suggest that we’re only looking at the tip of the iceberg,” Murphy told NPR.
A law passed in 2009 was meant to prevent situations like this, according to Murphy.
“I’m not arguing, nor are my colleagues arguing, that you should keep in the military someone who has committed a [driving under the influence] or someone who has committed another serious crime,” he said. “We’re arguing that you should medically discharge these individuals if that active misconduct is a manifestation of the disability, so they can continue to get help.”
The letter to Army officials expresses concerns the service may have discharged soldiers to save time and money.
“We are concerned that it may be easier to discharge service members for minor misconduct—possibly related to mental health issues—than to evaluate them for conditions that may warrant a medical discharge,” the senators assert in the letter.
The Army confirmed receipt of the latter assured the senators they “will respond accordingly.”
https://www.military1.com/misconduct-internal-affairs/article/1556482014-army-misconduct-discharges-under-scrutiny-from-senate-democrats
