src/applications/discharge-wizard/components/v2/Homepage.jsx
import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
import { connect } from 'react-redux';
import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
import { ROUTES } from '../../constants';
import { updateIntroPageViewed } from '../../actions';
import { pageSetup } from '../../utilities/page-setup';
import { QUESTION_MAP } from '../../constants/question-data-map';
const HomePage = ({ router, setIntroPageViewed }) => {
const H1 = QUESTION_MAP.HOME;
useEffect(() => {
pageSetup(H1);
setIntroPageViewed(true);
});
const startForm = event => {
event.preventDefault();
router.push(ROUTES.SERVICE_BRANCH);
};
return (
<>
<h1>{H1}</h1>
<div className="vads-u-padding--0 usa-content columns">
<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>
<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 href="#" onClick={startForm} text="Get started" />
</p>
<va-accordion>
<va-accordion-item header="Can I get VA benefits without a discharge upgrade?">
<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?">
<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 Department 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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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>
</>
);
};
HomePage.propTypes = {
router: PropTypes.shape({
push: PropTypes.func,
}).isRequired,
setIntroPageViewed: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
};
const mapDispatchToProps = {
setIntroPageViewed: updateIntroPageViewed,
};
export default connect(
null,
mapDispatchToProps,
)(HomePage);