Substitute House Bill No. 6748 seeks to amend Connecticut's laws regarding the recording of military discharge characterizations for veterans, specifically allowing those with an "other-than-honorable" discharge to apply for state veterans benefits or to have their discharge recharacterized as "honorable." This provision is applicable if the veteran believes their discharge was influenced by factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or qualifying conditions like PTSD or military sexual trauma. The bill establishes standardized application forms and procedures for both initial applications and reconsideration requests, ensuring a clear process for veterans.

In addition to these new provisions, the bill makes technical revisions to existing statutes, including replacing the term "other than honorable" with "other-than-honorable" throughout relevant sections. It also clarifies definitions related to veterans and qualifying conditions, enhancing consistency across statutes. The Eligibility Qualifying Review Board (EQRB) is tasked with reviewing applications within 30 days and making recommendations to the veterans affairs commissioner, who must issue a decision within 10 days. Importantly, the bill does not impose any fiscal impact on the state or municipalities, as the changes to the veteran registry do not affect eligibility for state benefits, and the EQRB can handle application reviews with existing resources.