A dishonorable discharge is the most severe of the military’s discharge characterizations, and it’s important to understand how rare and serious it actually is. Discharges are generally categorized as honorable, general under honorable conditions, other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable, in roughly ascending order of severity. A dishonorable discharge can only be handed down by a general court-martial, typically for serious offenses such as violent crimes, sexual assault, or other conduct treated as a felony under military law.
The consequences are significant: a dishonorable discharge results in the loss of most VA benefits, including GI Bill education benefits, VA home loans, and VA healthcare eligibility in most cases. It also shows up in background checks in a way that can affect civilian employment, particularly for jobs requiring a security clearance or working with vulnerable populations.
This is distinct from a bad conduct discharge, which is less severe and can be issued by either a special or general court-martial, and from an “other than honorable” administrative discharge, which doesn’t require a court-martial at all and stems from misconduct that falls short of a criminal offense.
Service members facing separation proceedings should understand which type of discharge is actually being considered, since the practical and legal consequences differ substantially between them.