62% of booted troops

A MAJORITY OF troops discharged from the military for misconduct between 2011 and 2015 suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or other mental issues, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued Tuesday.

Of the 91,764 booted service members, 57,141, or 62%, had been diagnosed with PTSD, a brain injury or other conditions associated with misconduct in the two years prior to their release.

Adjustment- and alcohol-related disorders were also among the conditions they suffered from.

Of the 57,141 service members, 13,283, or 23%, received an “other than honorable” discharge, possibly making them ineligible for health benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The GAO study also found that the Army and Marine Corps failed to adhere to Department of Defense policies about dismissal for misconduct. It showed that not all officers received training to identify brain injury symptoms, despite Pentagon policy that all service members should be trained.

From 2000 to 2014, more than 313,816 service members were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

The GAO issued five recommendations based on the report’s findings, four of which the Defense Department accepted. The GAO also urged the Defense Department to direct the Air Force and Navy to address inconsistencies in their screening and training policies, which the Pentagon did not agree to.

A Defense Department health official dismissed the GAO report, claiming it significantly overstated the number of troops with PTSD and brain injury.

David Smith wrote that the report creates “the false impression” that most service members dismissed for misconduct had psychological conditions that led to that misconduct.