Pentagon reaches settlement that could restore benefits to LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’

Thousands of LGBTQ+ US military veterans who were discharged under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy due to their sexuality could soon have an easier path to accessing more benefits for their service, according to a proposed legal settlement with the Pentagon.

Thousands of LGBTQ+ US military veterans who were discharged under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy due to their sexuality could soon have an easier path to accessing more benefits for their service, according to a proposed legal settlement with the Pentagon. The settlement agreement comes from a legal case filed in August 2023 against the Department of Defense, focusing on veterans whose discharge paperwork referenced their sexual orientation as a basis for their separation from the military. The agreement still needs to be finalized in court, though a news release on Monday from some of the plaintiffs said the veterans involved in the case “have reached a historic settlement agreement” in their lawsuit against the DoD. The discharge paperwork can keep veterans “from reenlisting in military service and burden them with discharge characterizations below Honorable, disqualifying them from valuable veterans’ benefits,” the settlement paperwork states. More than 30,000 US service members were discharged for their sexual orientation, or perceived orientation, under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and other earlier policies. More than 18,000 veterans would be eligible for the change, according to the news release. CBS News first reported the settlement. The Defense Department has not responded to CNN’s request for comment. Under the settlement, veterans with honorable or uncharacterized discharges but who have “discriminatory sexual orientation indicators” in their files can request to have them removed without having to go through a formal Board of Corrections process, the release on the proposed settlement said. The settlement would also expand efforts already undertaken by the Pentagon to proactively review the cases of veterans with other than honorable or general under honorable discharges.