Army Board for Correction of Military Records comes under scrutiny

Among the more obscure federal agencies are the services' boards for the correction of military records. Fusion has published this long investigative article on the Army Board for Correction of Military Records. Author Alissa Figueroa writes:

The Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) is the last place in the Army you can go to change your record, including overturning a discharge that left you without medical benefits for service-related injuries. Its stated mission is to “correct errors” or “remove injustices.” Rarely does it do the latter, say vets and lawyers.

Fusion also posted this companion piece, once again by Alissa Figueroa and the Fusion Investigative Unit, on the handling of sexual assault cases. It reports:

Fusion analyzed thousands of publicly available decisions for three common discharges from 2001 through 2012 that disqualified veterans from military benefits. We found that not one of 23 applicants who sought to overturn a discharge where sexual assault was a factor was successful. Fusion only had access to the Board’s decisions, which we found do not always mention evidence brought by applicants regarding sexual assault, so it’s possible more victims of sexual assault appealed. Even so, advocates and veterans say the system is so inaccessible and it is so difficult to get the grounds for a discharge changed, most do not even attempt it.