Manatt Secures Military Discharge Upgrade for U.S. Army Veteran

A Manatt pro bono team successfully obtained a military discharge upgrade for a U.S. Army veteran after she was released with a less-than-honorable discharge despite her outstanding service record, resulting in the loss of military benefits. 

Referred to as “Ava,” the veteran sought help from Inner City Law Center’s Long Beach VA Medical-Legal Partnership for being discharged with a less-than-honorable status after years of exceptional service. The organization referred the case to Manatt Environmental Litigation Partner  and Environment Counsel  who worked closely with Ava and built a strong case displaying the injustice she faced. After years of the team urging the Army to consider her discharge upgrade status, a judge panel unanimously ruled to upgrade her discharge to fully honorable, allowing Ava to regain recognition for her outstanding service as well as GI Bill benefits which were previously stripped away.  

The Inner City Law Center is a nonprofit organization which has served hundreds of veterans each year to help them obtain access to housing, health care and rightful benefits. Learn more about the organization .