An increasing number of military veterans who received less-than-honorable discharges because they were classified as homosexual are applying to have their records changed to indicate an honorable discharge,
The New York Times reports.
Up to 100,000 members of the military may have been discharged between World War II and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2011, the Times notes.
The less-than-honorable discharges caused veterans to miss out on benefits and kept them from getting government and civilian jobs.
With homosexuality much more accepted in the culture today, and same-sex marriage the law of the land, more veterans are petitioning for – and receiving – the changes.
Since 2011, any veteran who was discharged because of sexual orientation with no other "aggravating" factors, including misconduct, are granted the honorable discharge. Eighty percent of the 500 requests since 2011 have been approved.
The Restore Honor to Service Members Act would automatically upgrade almost all such veterans to an honorable discharge, but is stalled in Congress.
According to the
website Disabled World, the individual effort for veterans can be lengthy and results can differ depending on who reviews the records for veterans with similar situations.
Some veterans give up while going through the application process because it opens old wounds, the Times reported.
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