Federal · Title 10 — Armed Forces

10 U.S.C. § 1554b: Confidential review of characterization of terms of discharge of members of the armed forces who are victims of sex-related offenses

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Military secretaries must establish confidential review processes allowing service members who were victims of sex-related offenses to challenge their discharge characterization on grounds the offense adversely affected it.

Read the full statutory text
The Secretaries of the military departments shall each establish a confidential process, utilizing boards of the military department concerned established in accordance with this chapter, by which an individual who was the victim of a sex-related offense, or alleges that the individual was the victim of a sex-related offense, during service in the armed forces may challenge the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of the individual from the armed forces on the grounds that the terms or characterization were adversely affected by the individual being the victim of a sex-related offense. to give due consideration to the psychological and physical aspects of the individual’s experience in connection with the sex-related offense; and to determine what bearing such experience may have had on the circumstances surrounding the individual’s discharge or separation from the armed forces. Documents considered and decisions rendered pursuant to the process required by subsection (a) shall not be made available to the public, except with the consent of the individual concerned. Rape or sexual assault under subsection (a) or (b) of section 920 of this title (article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice). Forcible sodomy under section 925 of this title (article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice). An attempt to commit an offense specified in paragraph (1) or (2) as punishable under section 880 of this title (article 80 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice).

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