Short answer: A veteran is someone who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, with eligibility often determined by length of service and/or whether the discharge was honorable. The precise definition can vary by context (benefits, employment, education), but the core idea is active-duty service with an honorable or otherwise non-dishonorable discharge. Details and common criteria
- General definition: A person who served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Space Force and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. National Guard and Reserve members may be considered veterans if they were called to active federal service for purposes other than training and completed that active duty period.
- Typical service thresholds:
- Many federal and VA contexts use 180 days or more of continuous active-duty service as the baseline for veteran status. Some programs recognize shorter periods if the service included a combat zone or specific wartime campaigns.
* Some organizations also count a period of active duty for training (e.g., certain wartime service) as qualifying if injuries occurred in the line of duty.
- Exceptions and clarifications:
- ROTC students, current service academy cadets, or those who left before commissioning are generally not considered veterans in benefit contexts.
* People who only served in the Coast Guard Auxiliary or in non-federal roles, or whose last discharge was dishonorable, are typically excluded.
- Variations by program:
- Different agencies and programs may categorize veterans into subgroups (e.g., disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, wartime or campaign badge veteran) for eligibility or preferences. The key shared element is having served on active duty with a non-dishonorable discharge.
If you want, I can tailor this to a specific context (e.g., college financial aid, VA benefits, federal employment, or employment in general) and pull the exact criteria used by that program.
