title: Military discharge status of homeless veterans with mental illness.
abstract: The high proportion of veterans among homeless men is perplexing given the opportunities associated with military service and the benefits long available to veterans. One little-examined risk factor for homelessness is that many homeless men may have received punitive discharges that result in ineligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Data from a sample of homeless male veterans with mental illness enrolled in the Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports Program are used to examine punitive discharges as a risk factor for homelessness and to compare veterans with punitive and non-punitive discharges on premilitary, military, and postmilitary experiences. Only 7% of homeless veterans received punitive discharges. Pre-military experiences are associated with such discharges, but military experiences are not. Although a punitive discharge is a strong risk factor for subsequent homelessness, such discharges primarily reflect premilitary vulnerabilities and are a relatively minor reason for homelessness because they affect a small proportion of the general veteran population.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, 12 Upper, Leeds, MA 01053-9764, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gamache
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosenheck
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tessler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans