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Bill would extend Maryland veteran benefits to some with "other-than-honorable" discharges tied to trauma
Summary
House Bill 6-99 would let Maryland award state veteran benefits to individuals whose discharges were classified other-than-honorable when the determination was tied to PTSD, traumatic brain injury or sexual trauma.
Delegate Nick Allen told the Health and Government Operations Committee he is sponsoring House Bill 6-99 to allow certain Maryland veterans with less-than-honorable discharge characterizations to qualify for state veteran benefits if their discharge was connected to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or sexual trauma.
Nut graf: Proponents sought to mirror the Legislature’s earlier "Restoration of Honor" action for discharges tied to sexual orientation policy (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) by enabling access to state benefits for veterans whose administrative discharges were driven by service-related injuries or trauma. Witnesses urged a technical change to statutory language: replace the phrase "less than honorable" with the federally used "other-than-honorable" to avoid confusion and narrow the bill to the intended population.
What supporters said Delegate Allen and veterans’ and advocacy groups described how stigma and administrative processes historically penalize service members who sought mental-health care or who suffered TBIs or sexual trauma. Witnesses included representatives of veterans’ groups and AARP, who said the change would honor service and remove barriers to state services for a narrow group with service-connected trauma.
Technical clarifications and amendment Several witnesses urged using the federal discharge term "other-than-honorable" instead of the broader phrasing in current Maryland code to avoid conflating punitive, criminal discharges with administrative characterizations that services experts consider service-related. Sponsor Allen accepted the technical amendment in committee testimony and said he and the Senate cross-filer had coordinated language.
Next steps Committee members praised the bipartisan nature of the proposal and suggested including the technical amendment in subcommittee to expedite passage. No vote was taken at the hearing.
Ending: Veteran advocates urged a favorable report; sponsors accepted a drafting amendment and committee members signaled support for moving the bill to subcommittee with the technical change.
