Massachusetts
Some veterans discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell can seek Massachusetts benefit
Gov. Maura Healey appointed five members Wednesday to a review board created this year that is tasked with opening up a pathway to state-based veterans benefits for those who received an other than honorable discharge under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
The board, created in the fiscal 2023 state budget, will review veterans’ cases and recommend their eligibility for state-based benefits, a move Healey said marked a “historic milestone” in Massachusetts.
“We need to make sure that all of our veterans and all of our LGBTQ veterans in particular, today are truly honored for their service by making sure that as we go forward, they receive the benefits that they earned and are earning by serving our country,” Healey said.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barred openly LGBTQ+ people from serving in the military. It was repealed in September 2011. More than 13,000 service members were separated under the policy from 1994-2011, according to Department of Defense data.
Veterans in Massachusetts can submit an application online through the Executive Office of Veterans Services. The members serve five-year terms and “play a crucial role in ensuring veterans receive the support and benefits they deserve,” the Healey administration said.
Veterans Services Secretary John Santiago said veterans who received an other than honorable discharges “because of who you loved, who you were, it’s not your fault.”
“As a veteran myself, as someone who served, we know the LGBTQ+ members served our military from day one. They swore the same Constitution I did. They’ve been with me on missions, on deployments. They’ve been some of the best soldiers that I have served with,” Santiago said.
The five members of the Veterans Equality Review Board are Claire Burgess, a clinical psychologist at VA Boston Healthcare System; Cliff Brown, project member at Home Base; Lynette Gabrila, director of veterans services for the Wachusett District; Christine Serpe, a staff psychologist at VA Boston Healthcare System; and Rachel McNeill, a U.S. Army Reserves veteran.
The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that it planned to launch a new outreach campaign to encourage more service members and veterans who believe they suffered an “error or injustice” under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to seek corrections to their military records.
“Over the past decade, we’ve tried to make it easier for service members discharged based on their sexual orientation to obtain corrective relief,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “While this process can be difficult to navigate, we are working to make it more accessible and efficient.”