Veteran preparing an alcohol-related discharge upgrade petition with a military law attorney An alcohol-related discharge upgrade turns on the link between the drinking and an underlying condition.

Alcohol-Related Discharge Upgrade: The Childhood Trauma and Combat Connection

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By Kevin Courtney, Esq.  |  Former USMC Judge Advocate  |  California Attorney If your less-than-honorable discharge traces back to drinking, you are not looking at a lost cause. An alcohol-related discharge upgrade is often possible. The key is showing that the drinking was a symptom of a condition the...
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Army Discharge Review Board PTSD application file under review

Army Discharge Review Board PTSD Decisions: Three 2025 Cases That Reveal How the Board Reasons

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By Kevin Courtney, Esq.  |  Former USMC Judge Advocate  |  California Attorney If you have searched for help with a PTSD-based discharge upgrade, you have probably read a dozen summaries of the Kurta and Hagel memos. What is harder to find is a careful read of how...
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liberal consideration discharge upgrade for veteran with PTSD fishing

What Liberal Consideration Really Means for Your PTSD Discharge Upgrade

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By Kevin Courtney, Esq.  |  Former USMC Judge Advocate  |  California Attorney If a review board denied your discharge upgrade application, you may have seen the phrase “liberal consideration” scattered throughout its written decision. You may have assumed the board applied the standard. In March 2026, a...
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Types of Military Discharge: What Each One Means and Why It Matters

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Your discharge characterization is one of the most consequential labels the military can place on your service record — and most service members don’t fully understand the different types of military discharge until they are already facing separation. Whether you are currently serving and worried about what is ahead, or you separated...
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Best Evidence for Discharge Upgrade: What Military Boards Actually Want to See

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When you apply for a discharge upgrade, you're not trying to satisfy a bureaucratic checklist. You're trying to persuade a group of military officers that the original discharge was either improper or unjust. That persuasion lives or dies on the strength of your evidence. After years defending service members...
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