ASSEMBLY PASSES DEANGELO & MURPHY BILL ALLOWING VETERANS TO WITHDRAW HONORABLE DISCHARGE PAPERS FROM

To clarify procedures regarding honorable discharge papers, Assembly Democrats Wayne DeAngelo and Carol Murphy sponsor legislation that would allow veterans to withdraw their papers from a county clerk’s office in New Jersey. The bill was passed by the full Assembly Thursday, 72-0-0.

Veterans are allowed to file honorable discharge papers and other similar service paperwork with their county clerk’s office for safekeeping at no charge, but current law does not say if veterans are permitted to then withdraw those papers at a later date.

The bill (A-3123) explicitly states that a veteran or a personal representative is allowed to withdraw paperwork indicating their honorable discharge and/or their record of service from a county clerk’s office at any time.

Upon the bill’s passage, Assembly sponsors DeAngelo (D-Mercer, Middlesex) and Murphy (D-Burlington) issued the following joint statement:

“There has been confusion over whether a veteran is allowed to withdraw their honorable discharge from a county clerk’s office after the paperwork has been filed. Their discharge paperwork and record of service could prove beneficial to veterans applying for employment, services, or benefits related to their service.

“This bill clarifies that veterans are allowed to make that request at any time if they so choose since there is absolutely no reason they should not be able to do so. County clerks’ offices would then be required to honor the request.”