A group of Democratic senators asked the Army on Wednesday to investigate allegations that the service has discharged more than 22,000 soldiers for misconduct following diagnosis of a mental health issue.
Led by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the letter to Army leaders asks for a full Army Inspector General investigation into the questions raised by recent media reports about whether the Army was discharging these soldiers to avoid dealing with their medical issues.
“Soldiers who deploy are at an increased risk for mental health issues and the forceful separation of servicemembers post-deployment only further denies treatment and support at a critical moment in any soldier’s life,” the letter said. “Additionally, fear of dismissal may discourage servicemembers from seeking the medical treatment they require.”
The letter to Gen. Mark Milley, Army chief of staff, and Eric Fanning, the acting Army undersecretary, also says the fiscal 2014 defense authorization act called for a report from the Government Accountability Office into these alleged wrongful dismissals.
“We are concerned that it may be easier to discharge servicemembers for minor misconduct — possibly related to mental health issues — than to evaluate them for conditions that may warrant a medical discharge,” the senators wrote.
A National Public Radio report found that troops were being dismissed for minor bad behavior following diagnosis of a mental health issue or traumatic brain injury sustained in combat. In those cases, those soldiers would lose out on healthcare and other benefits afforded to those with an honorable discharge, meaning those who need the services the most may not be receiving them.
In one example, an Army sniper who served two tours in Iraq was separated from the military for a two-year old drunken-driving charge.
Other senators who signed the bill are Democrats Barbara Boxer of California, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Jon Tester of Montana, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Gary Peters of Michigan, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
