Walz--Vets Bill

First District Congressman Tim Walz has introduced a bill he says would ensure justice by reviewing and, when necessary, correcting service records for over 31,000 veterans who may have been misdiagnosed by the Department of Defense with a Personality Disorder or Adjustment Disorder and improperly discharged after active duty deployment.

Walz says many of these veterans have already seen combat and are actually suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Because Personality Disorder and Adjustment Disorder are considered pre-existing conditions, the Department of Defense is not obligated to award the veteran the benefits they need to properly reintegrate into their communities.

Disturbingly, Walz says, records show the personality disorder diagnosis is being used disproportionately on women. Recent reports show a pattern of the military using psychiatric diagnoses to discharge women who report sexual assaults.

In 2008, the Government Accountability Office found that 26,000 servicemembers were discharged with Personality Disorder between 2001 and 2007. Based on a review of several hundred cases, GAO indicated that compliance rates for discharging veterans with PD were as low as 40 percent. As of 2010, the military separated more than 31,000 servicemembers on the basis of PD or AD.