Moffet and McCarty are fools who don’t know what the hell they are talking about and are giving democrats ammunition to refute future LEGITIMATE cases of non-service among their members because of these false chaarges.
There is a difference between qualifying for VA benefits but it has nothing to do with “veteran” status. There are those with 20 year service collecting retired pay who don’t qualify for VA benefits.
VA medical benefits. All the rest of them, you get so long as you've served 180 days of continuous active duty time. The VA medical benefits can be much more tricky to acquire, primarily due to supply and demand.
“Veteran status” is, according to multiple online government sources (Hint: Search “Determining veteran status”), reserved for a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. Reservists do not necessarily.