The Defense Department agreed to a class-action settlement that may affect more than 35,000 LGBTQ veterans who were discharged because of their sexual orientation under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and similar earlier policies.

The U.S. Department of Defense has agreed to overhaul its process for LGBTQ veterans to seek honorable discharges after they were barred from serving because of their sexual orientation, according to a filing in San Francisco federal court on Monday.

The Pentagon said it will restore the discharge records of 35,000 veterans to “honorable,” ending a class action suit filed more than a year ago by veterans outed under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies.

The U.S. Department of Defense will consider granting honorable discharges to more than 30,000 gay and bisexual veterans who were barred from serving in the military because of their sexual orientation,

The agreement, if approved by a judge, would let former service members upgrade their discharge status and receive benefits they had been denied.

The Pentagon agreed to a historic class-action settlement that will give over 35,000 LGBTQ+ veterans access to benefits they were previously denied because of policies like "don't ask, don't tell."

The Defense Department has reached a settlement with veterans who were discharged under discriminatory policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” potentially allowing more than 30,000 to receive benefits.