Last month, the Pentagon automatically granted honorable discharges to 800 of the estimated 13,000 veterans who had been kicked out of the military during the “don’t ask, don’t tell” period from 1994 to 2011, with less than entirely honorable discharges. Even 13,000 is probably an underestimated number. In some cases, if a commander suspected homosexuality but lacked evidence, soldiers were preemptively discharged through administrative or punitive action. The Pentagon estimate also does not take into account veterans separated because of their sexual orientation before 1994, when automatic release was official policy.

This Veterans Day, we should reflect on the population of veterans who were discharged in a process still steeped in subjective notions of honor and shame. This moment of reckoning with LGBTQ+ veterans is an opportunity for the Pentagon to rethink its archaic military discharge system.

Since World War I, the military has tied veterans’ benefits to their discharge qualification. “Honorable,” “general under honorable conditions,” “other than honorable,” and “dishonorable” are the most common. Individual military commanders enjoy discretion over these distinctions, placing the determination of honor or shame in their hands.

Since the Second World War, 2.36 million veterans received a less than entirely honorable discharge. Each service varies in how they distribute these dumpsAlso. Although only about 10 percent of Marines and airmen get other-than-honorable discharges, about 20 percent of Army soldiers do.

Even a seemingly benign downgrade – from “honorable” to “general discharge under honorable conditions” – makes a difference. Department of Veterans Affairs health care is automatically available to those who have it honorable and general discharge qualifications. Benefits of the GI Bill after 9/11however, are reserved only for those with a fully honorable discharge. Without it, a soldier cannot receive full tuition and fees at a public university, as well as a housing and book stipend – a sum that can easily reach $100,000.

This is an imperfect practice at best and has never been applied consistently. This makes the nation’s largest employer – the U.S. military – unique, by tying benefit eligibility to a perception of “honor” in one’s job performance. For example, during and after World War II, approximately 50,000 soldiers — who were mostly people of color, women and LGBTQ+ — received “blue discharges” that made them ineligible for benefits. More recently, some commanders have used their discretion to expel victims of military sexual trauma and those who suffer post-traumatic stress with less than honorable discharges.

I’ve spoken with dozens of veterans who received non-honorable discharges and their families and have seen first-hand the damage done: blocked career prospects, limited access to health care. Not having an “honorable” service record also leads to stigma in the veteran community. Many organizations websites declare that eligibility requires a completely honorable service qualification, leaving veterans wondering if they are “real” veterans.

Outside of the small subset of “don’t ask, don’t tell” automatic upgrades, everyone has had to request an upgrade on their own. Some are hesitant because reconnecting with the Ministry of Defense is like rubbing salt in the wound. Others are put off by the process, which can take months or even years to submit documents, attend hearings and wait for a final decision. Requests for upgrades for veterans of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era have increased across the board, but the Navy and Marine Corps continue refuse 23% and 18%respectively, of these upgrade requests.

Dismissal review boards also approved enhancements for service members discharged less than honorably and who suffered from conditions such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Yet success rates are low for other veterans seeking an upgrade: the Naval Discharge Review Board has only granted relief to 33% of complaints with a mental health decision between April and June 2024.

The Pentagon should explore a new system with fewer types of discharges and objective measurements. At a minimum, eligibility for VA benefits should reward time of service, using a transparent, sliding scale of benefits that increases with length of service.

A conversation about the Pentagon’s outdated and often unfair referral system began before “don’t ask, don’t tell” was even over, but little was done to explore alternatives. Commanders’ discretion is too excessive in the current system, leaving those who serve their country needlessly vulnerable to bias. We should not let veterans slip through the cracks because of subjective notions of honor and shame.

Ryan Haberman is an Army veteran and senior policy analyst at Rand, where he focuses primarily on national security strategy and government workforce issues.