Pappas Joins Call for Oversight of Pentagon’s Work to Upgrade Veterans Discharged Under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus, joined Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) and Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02), in an oversight letter to the Secretary of Defense seeking information on the Department’s efforts to proactively review and upgrade cases of LGBTQI+ veterans who were discharged under less than honorable conditions for their sexual orientation prior to the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).

“While it’s been thirteen years since the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, the trauma of these policies is not over, and for far too many LGBTQ+ service members and veterans their injustice has not been corrected,” said Equality Caucus Co-Chair, Congressman Pappas. “I’m pleased that the Department of Defense has recently taken critical steps to review records and increase outreach efforts to those discharged under this discriminatory policy. We must continue working to improve this process and enable LGBTQ+ service members who were unjustly discharged to receive the benefits they earned.”

“Our service members made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was a policy that should have never existed in the first place, but we’re unfortunately still feeling the repercussions of it to this day. Now, the Department of Defense has the responsibility to uplift LGBTQ+ veterans who were previously degraded because of their sexuality. We are calling on the Secretary of Defense to continue prioritizing the Department’s commitment to reevaluate the thousands of cases where an LGBTQ+ serviceworker was discharged under less than honorable conditions in an attempt to correct the record and honor them the way they deserve,” said Equality Caucus Co-Chair, Congressman Robert Garcia.

“The United States government has a moral obligation to right the wrongs it committed when it dishonorably discharged veterans from the armed services on the grounds of their sexual orientation. The DoD’s plan to upgrade the less-than-honorable discharges of queer servicemembers is an important step towards ensuring that every veteran’s record reflects their honorable service and profound sacrifice, and making sure they are able to access the benefits they deserve.” said Equality Caucus Chair, Congressman Mark Pocan.

The letter asks a series of oversight questions and requests information regarding the Department of Defense’s September 2023 decision to proactively review records of service members dismissed under DADT and forward these cases to the respective service secretaries for consideration for potential correction through the service boards.

In 2010, Congress passed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) Repeal Act into law. The policy officially ended in 2011, ensuring any American who wishes to serve in uniform can do so without discrimination because of who they love. However, since the DADT repeal, many veterans who sought to upgrade their less than honorable discharges reported a prolonged and burdensome process, often requiring the use of a lawyer, to seek the respect and benefits they rightfully earned. Additionally, far too many veterans discharged under DADT had no idea they could seek an upgrade or where to start the process.

Pappas is the lead sponsor of the SERVE Act, legislation to guarantee and protect VA benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans discharged from the Armed Forces solely due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation would take critical steps to ensure these LGBTQ+ veterans are afforded the VA benefits they rightfully earned after serving their country.