The nature of Personality Disorder discharge policy in the United States military as of September 11, 2001

Since September 11, 2001, a rise in numbers of soldiers discharged with a Personality Disorder diagnosis has been documented. This increase has not gone unnoticed and Congress has taken initiative to hold hearings regarding the subject. It is controversial due to the lack of benefits veterans receive with this diagnosis once separated from the military. This study attempts to highlight the policy or lack thereof, spanning over the last decade, regarding Personality Disorder based discharge from the armed forces. Men and women who have been determined to suffer from physical trauma as a result of combat in war, are not having their medical needs met because they sign Personality Disorder based discharge status documents without knowing that it is considered a pre-existing condition. As a result they are excluded from their rightful Department of Defense and Veteran's Administration benefits. This study analyzes the key points of individual government documents, which include: congressional hearings, military policy and United States Government Accountability Office reports. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the current status of Personality Disorder discharge policy and to provide recommendations for materials that can be disseminated to professionals who provide services to veterans. There is particular interest in developing materials for the future that will assist in identifying effective advocacy strategies, informed by data, relevant to social work practice.