Paper
One of the most invisible and devastating costs of the post 9/11 wars for United
States veterans is the denial of benefits and services to a growing portion of former service
members who are most in need of support.
An increasing percentage of veterans have been
discharged from the military in such a way as to leave them effectively ineligible to receive
Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare, veteran benefits such as education and housing support,
and other resources. Colloquially referred to as “bad papers,” these discharges have seen a
sharp spike since 9/11, with almost six percent of the entire veteran population of this era
excluded from care in comparison with one percent of such discharges among post-‐‑WWII
veterans.3 These military discharges are often the result of minor disciplinary infractions
that are actually symptomatic of trauma sustained during military service.