src/applications/discharge-wizard/components/InstructionsPage.jsx
import React from 'react';
import { ROUTES } from '../constants';
const InstructionsPage = ({ router }) => {
const startForm = event => {
event.preventDefault();
router.push(ROUTES.QUESTIONS);
};
return (
<section
className="dw-instructions"
itemScope
itemType="http://schema.org/FAQPage"
>
<h1 itemProp="name">How to apply for a discharge upgrade</h1>
<div className="row vads-u-margin--0">
<article className="usa-content columns xsmall-screen:vads-u-padding--0">
<div className="va-introtext">
<p itemProp="description">
Answer a series of questions to get customized step-by-step
instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade or
correction. If your application goes through and your discharge is
upgraded, you’ll be eligible for the VA benefits you earned during
your period of service.
</p>
</div>
<div className="main home signup">
<div className="section main-menu">
<div className="row">
<div className="small-12 columns">
<p>
All branches of the military consider you to have a strong
case for a discharge upgrade if you can show your discharge
was connected to any of these categories:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Mental health conditions, including posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD)
</li>
<li>Traumatic brain injury (TBI)</li>
<li>
Sexual assault or harassment during military service (at
VA, we refer to this as military sexual trauma or MST)
</li>
<li>
Sexual orientation (including under the Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell policy)
</li>
</ul>
<p>
The information you enter on the next page is completely
confidential.
</p>
<p>
<va-link-action
data-testid="duw-start"
href="#"
onClick={startForm}
text="Get started"
/>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div className="row">
<div className="small-12 columns">
<va-accordion uswds>
<va-accordion-item
header="Can I get VA benefits without a discharge upgrade?"
uswds
>
<p>
Even with a less than honorable discharge, you may be
able to access some VA benefits through the Character of
Discharge review process. When you apply for VA
benefits, we’ll review your record to determine if your
service was “honorable for VA purposes.” This review can
take up to a year. Please provide us with documents
supporting your case, similar to the evidence you’d send
with an application to upgrade your discharge.
</p>
<p>
You may want to consider finding someone to advocate on
your behalf, depending on the complexity of your case. A
lawyer or Veterans Service Organization (VSO) can
collect and submit supporting documents for you.{' '}
<va-link
href="https://www.benefits.va.gov/vso/varo.asp"
text="Find a VSO near you."
/>
</p>
<p>
<strong>Note:</strong> You can ask for a VA Character of
Discharge review while at the same time applying for a
discharge upgrade from the Department of Defense (DoD)
or the Coast Guard.
</p>
<p>
If you need mental health services related to PTSD or
other mental health problems linked to your service
(including conditions related to an experience of
military sexual trauma), you may qualify for VA health
benefits right away, even without a VA Character of
Discharge review or a discharge upgrade.
</p>
<p>Learn more about:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<va-link
href="/health-care/health-needs-conditions/military-sexual-trauma/"
text="VA health benefits for Veterans who’ve experienced military sexual trauma"
/>
</li>
<li>
<va-link
href="/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health/"
text="VA health benefits for Veterans with mental health conditions"
/>
</li>
<li>
<va-link
href="/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health/ptsd/"
text="VA health benefits for Veterans with PTSD"
/>
</li>
</ul>
</va-accordion-item>
<va-accordion-item
header="What if I already applied for an upgrade or correction and was denied?"
uswds
>
<p>
If your previous upgrade application was denied, you can
apply again, but you may have to follow a different
process. Select the <strong>Get Started</strong> link
above. When you’re asked if you’ve applied before,
select <strong>Yes</strong>. After you’ve answered all
the questions, you’ll see application instructions
specific to your situation.
</p>
<p>
Applying again is most likely to be successful if your
application is significantly different from when you
last applied. For example, you may have additional
evidence that wasn’t available to you when you last
applied, or the Departent of Defense (DoD) may have
issued new rules regarding discharges. DoD rules changed
for discharges related to PTSD, TBI, and mental health
in 2014, military sexual harassment and assault in 2017,
and sexual orientation in 2011.
</p>
</va-accordion-item>
<va-accordion-item
header="What if I have discharges for more than one period of service?"
uswds
>
<p>
If the Department of Defense (DoD) or the Coast Guard
determined you served honorably in one period of
service, you may use that honorable characterization to
establish eligibility for VA benefits, even if you later
received a less than honorable discharge. You earned
your benefits during the period in which you served
honorably. Make sure you specifically mention your
period of honorable service when applying for VA
benefits.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Note:</strong> The only exception is for
service-connected disability compensation. You’re only
eligible to earn disability compensation for
disabilities you suffered during a period of honorable
service. You can’t use an honorable discharge from one
period of service to establish eligibility for a
service-connected disability from a different period of
service.
</p>
</va-accordion-item>
<va-accordion-item
header="What if I served honorably, but didn’t receive discharge paperwork?"
uswds
>
<p>
You’re eligible for VA benefits at the end of a period
of honorable service, even if you didn’t receive a
discharge in the form of a DD214. If you completed your
original contract period without any disciplinary
problems, you can use this period of service to
establish your eligibility, even if you re-enlisted or
extended your service and did not receive an “honorable”
DD214 at the end of your second period of service. If
you completed a period of honorable service that’s not
reflected on a DD214, make sure you specifically mention
this period of service when you apply for VA benefits.
We may do a Character of Discharge review to confirm
your eligibility.
</p>
<p>
You can also apply to the Department of Defense (DoD) or
the Coast Guard for a second DD214 only for that
honorable period of service. Select the{' '}
<strong>Get Started</strong> link above and answer the
questions based on your most recent discharge. When
you’re asked if you completed a period of service in
which your character of service was honorable or general
under honorable conditions, select: “Yes, I completed a
prior period of service, but I did not receive discharge
paperwork from that period.”
</p>
</va-accordion-item>
<va-accordion-item
header="What if I have a DD215 showing an upgraded discharge, but my DD214 still isn’t correct?"
uswds
>
<p>
When the Department of Defense (DoD) or the Coast Guard
upgrades a Veteran’s discharge, it usually issues a
DD215 showing corrections to the DD214. The DoD or the
Coast Guard attaches the DD215 to the old DD214—which
still shows the outdated discharge and related
information. While the discharge on the DD215 is the
correct discharge, a Veteran may still want a new DD214
that shows no record of their earlier characterization
of discharge.
</p>
<p>
If you have a DD215 and want an updated DD214, select
the <strong>Get Started</strong> link above. On the next
page, select: “I received a discharge upgrade or
correction, but my upgrade came in the form of a DD215,
and I want an updated DD214.” After you’ve answered all
the questions, you’ll see instructions for how to
request a new DD214.
</p>
</va-accordion-item>
</va-accordion>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
</section>
);
};
export default InstructionsPage;