The Pentagon on Tuesday granted honorable discharges to more than 800 veterans who were separated from the U.S. military because of their sexual orientation during the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which was in effect February 1994.
In December 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law a repeal of the policy, which took effect in September 2011.
An honorable discharge status unlocks access to benefits that some of these veterans may have been missing out on for decades, including things like health care, college tuition assistance, VA loan programs and even some jobs.
In a separate effort announced in June, President Biden issued pardons for former service members convicted under a military law from years past that explicitly criminalized consensual "sodomy."
In a statement, a defense official stated, "We encourage all veterans who believe they have suffered an error or injustice to request a correction to their military records."
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