"Soon after signing the personality disorder papers, Luther was placed in a DC-10 and whisked back to Fort Hood. There he would learn about Chapter 5-13’s fine print: he was ineligible for disability benefits, since his condition was pre-existing. He would not be receiving the lifetime of medical care given to severely wounded soldiers. And because he did not complete his contract, he would have to return a slice of his signing bonus."
"This past December–after VA doctors found Luther to be suffering from migraine headaches, vision problems, dizziness, nausea, difficulty hearing, numbness, anxiety and irritability–the VA cited traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and declared Luther 80 percent disabled. 'PTSD, a consequence of the TBI,' wrote one VA doctor, 'is a clear diagnosis.'"
"Luther’s case is not an isolated incident. In the past three years, The Nation has uncovered more than two dozen cases like his from bases across the country. All the soldiers were examined, deemed physically and psychologically fit, then welcomed into the military. All performed honorably before being wounded during service. None had a documented history of psychological problems. Yet after seeking treatment for their wounds, each soldier was diagnosed with a pre-existing personality disorder, then discharged and denied benefits."
Note by PDV!: I have looked for more information surrounding this, and whether any changes have been made in the past decade. There is scant reporting on this from what I can find though some articles from 2016 report that there have been changes made, it is unclear to me how significant these changes are. If anybody has any other sources for the use of personality disorder diagnosis to discharge soldiers and avoid accountability or support let me know.
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