Critical Findings of the Veterans Joint Task Force D ischarge status. Discharge from the military occurs when individuals are released from their commitment to con- tinue their service in the armed forces, and it can be either voluntary or involuntary. An Honorable Discharge is earned when individuals have per- formed their military duties and managed their personal conduct with a good or excellent rating. An Honorable Discharge earns all of the benefits available to a veteran. However, any discharge sta- tus that is not honorable (there are several types that may be referred to as “other than honorable”) puts veterans’ benefits and the GI Bill at risk. It’s not uncommon for a soldier to be involun- tarily discharged with an “other than honorable” status for drug use, for example. What the Task Force found is that many homeless veterans have this status, and they did not receive all, or any, of their veteran benefits. Another stipulation of the discharge status protocol limits nonprofit agencies from serving veterans with an “other than honorable” discharge. If an agency is receiving any government funding from Veterans Affairs or HUD, they are expected to not accept a veteran with an “other than honorable” discharge. This eliminates additional options for veterans who are unstable and in need of assistance. Trained to be a soldier. The first order of boot camp is to break everyone down as individuals and then rebuild them as a unit. That rebuilding process trains individual soldiers to be more concerned about the soldier next to them than their own welfare. This training, to develop the mindset and behavior of a soldier, is a necessary and effective mindset for warfare. However, the “group over individual” mindset does not function as well in our independent and individualistic culture. And the loss of a cohesive unit as a way of life can be debilitating to the veteran. Predisposition to instability. Psychology Today reports that veterans who become homeless may also have had a predisposition to instability prior to enlisting. If they left a broken family, are single, experienced chronic poverty, or struggled with mental health or substance abuse before enlisting, they are likely to return to these same things. And even if they have an intact family, the family may not be equipped to support a loved one who is experiencing the disorientation from re-entry into civilian life or suffering from PTSD. When young men or women have limited options, need stability, or want to stop a trouble- some way of life, what do they do? They enlist in the armed forces, where they gain tremendous skills and grow in character. Many credit the military for developing a strong work ethic, a respect for authority, and courage. They also gain a life purpose in their service to their country. But at the time of discharge, the stability, purpose, resources, and camaraderie vanish.  WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 9 It’s not uncommon for a soldier to be involuntarily discharged with an “other than honorable” status for drug use, for example. What the Task Force found is that many homeless veterans have this status, and they did not receive all, or any, of their veteran benefits.