COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Some traumatized veterans commit crimes when they return from the front and then are discharged in a way that makes them ineligible for further medical help, a newspaper reports.
The Colorado Springs Gazette found () that the military has discharged escalating numbers of combat veterans since 2006, including many with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or brain damage. An unknown number of those veterans have committed crimes since returning to the United States. The military can discharge them under a provision called Chapter 10, which prevents them from being eligible for Veterans Administration benefits that include treatment for combat-related psychiatric disorders.
The military has discharged more than 13,000 veterans through Chapter 10 since 2006, the Gazette reports. It’s unclear how many suffered from combat-related wounds that may have driven them to misconduct.
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Information from: The Gazette,
