A veterans' group is pushing for President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump to issue pardons for vets denied health benefits and support because of "bad paper discharges."
Vietnam Veterans of America estimates as many as 300,000 vets of recent wars have been denied help because of unfair dismissals that did not take into account health problems related to their service – including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and mental health issues, Military Times reported.
"We continue to hold out hope that President Obama, in his final days as commander-in-chief, will not forget the thousands of veterans with PTSD who have been denied access to healthcare and treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs," VVA John Rowan said in a statement.
"As pardons are being issued to people who have been convicted of serious felonies, veterans who served their country in combat wait to be offered the same clemency."
The group argues instead of those soldiers being booted for alcohol abuse, drug use, and suicide attempts, those veterans should have gotten counseling or health services.
Military Times reported there is no standard list for what veterans would be eligible for a discharge upgrade should such a "pardon" be issued, but Obama's staff would have to work out a deal with Trump's staff to keep enrollment open "for months or years."
"We cannot wait another four or eight years for an outgoing president to take action to help the most vulnerable veterans in the country," Rowan said in his statement.