|
When the Maine State Legislature passed LD 173—An Act to Restore Honor to Certain Service Members, it requested the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS) take an in depth look at this issue and how it affected Maine’s veterans. MBVS conducted a six-month needs assessment regarding veterans’ access to Federal and State benefits, specifically focusing on the area of bad paper discharges.
The report, Bad Paper Discharges and Veterans’ Access to Federal and State Benefits – A look at character of discharge for LGBTQ+ veterans, as well as veterans receiving bad paper for behaviors that can be directly linked to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST), was submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs in March of 2022.
MBVS has closely monitored New York and Connecticut’s work on this issue, especially Connecticut’s 2018 formation of a Qualifying Condition Review Board (a state-based review of veterans’ discharges to see if they would qualify for state and municipal benefits while their application for a discharge upgrade with a military board is pending at a federal level).
Veterans who receive bad paper discharges, Other Than Honorable (OTH), are deemed not eligible for federal and state benefits. Often times there are extenuating circumstances regarding this type of discharge that are directly related to diagnosed or undiagnosed PTSD, TBI, MST, and/or LGBTQ+ veterans who were discharged due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The report can be viewed at - https://www.maine.gov/veterans/
What’s Happening
May 1- 4 - House in the Woods to Host Turkey Retreat, FMI contact Angie Gade: Angie’s Email
May 18 - Coffee with a Vet hosted by House in the Woods, from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. at their Military and Family Retreat in Lee, Maine.
May 18 - Veterans' Acupuncture Clinic Mid-Coast Veterans Council in Brunswick at 6:00 p.m.
May 21 - Armed Forces Day Ride in support of the VFW, at Lewiston-Auburn Harley Davidson. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m.
May 25 - Veterans Adaptive Sports & Training Program, Pineland Farms, 9:30 a.m. Find out more about VAST here.
May 28 - Veteran and Family Member Breakfast Dysart’s Restaurant, 1110 Broadway, Bangor from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
May 28 - Rick's Run 5K, in memory of Richard A. Roy a Vietnam Veteran, Spring Hill in South Berwick starting at 9:00 a.m. Sign up here.
May 29 & 30 - GoldStars Tribute Wall ™ hosted at Augusta Elks Lodge #964, May 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Monday, May 30 from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
May 29 - Miles for Mills 5K, Brunswick Landing starting at 9:00 a.m., click here to register.
May 30 - Veterans Memorial Day Cruise in Naples, Naples Causeway, 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
May 30 - Pine Tree Legal and Togus to host Medical- Legal Clinic at the Togus campus, starting at 8:30 a.m. FMI: Click Here
May 30 - Central Maine Veterans' Cemetery Association hosts two Memorial Day ceremonies:
12:00 p.m. - Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery at 143 Blue Star Avenue, off of Civic Center Drive, Augusta.
2:00 p.m. - Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 163 Mt. Vernon Road, Augusta.
*Be Sure to Check Out Our Facebook Page in May for Updates on Memorial Day Events Across Maine*
|