WASHINGTON - Inside the massive defense spending bill Congress passed Thursday is small provision that could change the fate of tens of thousands of service men and women currently denied access to medical care.
The Fairness for Veterans Act is featured in the TEGNA investigative docu-series, Charlie Foxtrot. The bill requires military discharge review boards to consider post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
It reads:
To provide for the treatment by discharge review boards of claims asserting post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury in connection with combat or sexual trauma as a basis for review of discharge.
Charlie Foxtrot investigated how tens of thousands of service members are stripped of benefits, often without medical care. Many are not legally considered veterans anymore.
Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) was a co-sponsor of the bill.
"I know a lot of my fellow Marines that I served with have PTSD because of the service-related work that they did and were then punished by the same service that they tried to help," Gallego said.
As a result of the this bill's passing, the military will now be required to consider mental health conditions for troops who receive less-than-honorable discharges. If a service member does something the military considers undesirable, their mental health will now factor in to any discharge review. Now, thousands of veterans will now be eligible for at status upgrade and VA medical care.
"Honestly, I thought it was going to be written off," University of Arizona Veterans Law Clinic Director Kristine Huskey said.
Huskey represents a handful of veterans trying to overturn their discharges.
"Hopefully for our new clients coming in, this will mean a lot."
However, Huskey said she believes the Fairness for Veterans Act will not help those who have already had their discharges upheld on appeal.
More than 12,000 people felt compelled to sign a petition supporting the law after watching Charlie Foxtrot.
Earlier this week, Charlie Foxtrot was shown on Capitol Hill as part of a discussion with participants of the docu-series, as well as several bills aimed at safeguarding veterans' mental health.
The National Defense Authorization Act now heads to President Obama’s desk for a signature. The President is expected to sign the plan into law.