Army should factor PTSD in discharge decisions, veterans’ lawsuit claims

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A federal lawsuit alleges the U.S. Army has issued less-than-honorable discharges for potentially thousands of service members without adequately considering the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.

Two Army veterans from Connecticut who served in Iraq and Afghanistan say in the lawsuit filed Monday in New Haven that they were wrongly denied honorable discharges.

They say a review board set up to give veterans a second chance often doesn’t do an adequate job in considering PTSD and related conditions. Acting Army Secretary Robert Speer is named as the defendant.

Students and professors with the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic filed the case on behalf of the veterans. They are seeking class-action status.

An Army spokesman said the branch doesn’t generally comment on pending litigation.