I don’t know exactly what it’s called, but I was released on a medical discharge (lazy eye which caused the pupil to contract while the other remained the same and would make it harder to tell if I had a concussion), but it still says honorable on the certificate. I’ll have to see if I can dig up my DD-214 and see what exactly it says.
I was discharged from boot camp due to an existing medical condition that theoretically should have prevented me from enlisting. My discharge is honorable and my DD-214 is stamped with a not eligible for benefits-----I don’t remember what benefits I’m not illegible for, probably not any at all.
It varies, my dependendent ID says I can use the commissary, exchange and MWR, and direct medical. Pretty much anything I could have done when mrAru was active duty. [commissary is grocery store, exchange is walmart, MWR is travel agency and direct medical means I can walk into any military medical establishment - hospital, ER or clinic except for dental and get seen to. I actually get my prescriptions at Sub Base New London for free, saves us $3k a month or around $300 in co-pay.]
Being able to do your entire 20 years and retiring with good paper is good in these shitty economic times. I could be homeless living in my van, and as long as I have my dependent ID, I can get my health dealt with properly.
In my case, I never finished boot camp. Boot camp doesn’t count as active duty or so the VA told me.
In order to qualify for VA benefits, you have to have served for at least 181 days. This eliminates reservists who only go through basic training and advanced (i.e. job) training and anyone who washes out before that point. (Reservists/Guardsmen do get VA medical benefits if they deploy, but that’s limited to five years after they do so.)