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To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for an opportunity for members of the Armed Forces who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to transfer the entitlement to educational assistance of such members to their dependents.
Summary
This bill amends veterans' benefits law to allow certain service members who were discharged between August 2021 and January 2023 for refusing COVID-19 vaccination to transfer their Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance benefits to their dependents. Members have a 90-day period from the bill's enactment to make this transfer. Dependents who receive transferred benefits would be able to use them after the service member completes at least six years of active service. The bill applies only to individuals who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated solely on the basis of refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI)
23 cosponsors
- Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5] (R-WA)
- Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. [R-AK-At Large] (R-AK)
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI)
- Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ)
- Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27] (R-TX)
- Rep. Downing, Troy [R-MT-2] (R-MT)
- Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8] (R-CO)
- Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX)
- Rep. Hamadeh, Abraham J. [R-AZ-8] (R-AZ)
- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC)
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA)
- Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8] (R-TX)
- Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7] (R-GA)
- Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH)
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI)
- Rep. Moore, Tim [R-NC-14] (R-NC)
- Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3] (R-NC)
- Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3] (R-IA)
- Rep. Onder, Robert F. [R-MO-3] (R-MO)
- Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7] (R-NC)
- Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3] (R-TX)
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI)
- Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI)
Actions (4)
- Jun 11, 2025 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
- Jun 6, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. · house
- May 29, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. · house
- May 29, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
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Similar bills (6)
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Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 29, 2025
Mr. Barrett (for himself, Mr. Harrigan, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Begich, Mr. Goldman of Texas, Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona, Mr. Moore of North Carolina, Mr. Onder, Mr. Downing, Mr. Luttrell, Mr. Self, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, and Mr. Bergman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for an opportunity for members of the Armed Forces who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to transfer the entitlement to educational assistance of such members to their dependents.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Patriots Over Politics Act”.
SEC. 2. OPPORTUNITY OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO TRANSFER DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
Section 3319 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(m) Discharge for Refusal To Receive COVID-19 Vaccination.—
“(1) In general.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall allow a covered eligible individual to transfer to an eligible dependent under this section the entitlement to educational assistance of the individual as of the date on which such individual was separated from the Armed Forces.
“(2) Commencement of use.—Notwithstanding subsection
(g)(2)(A), in the case of entitlement transferred to a child under this subsection, the child may commence the use of the transferred entitlement after the completion by the individual making the transfer of at least six years of service in the Armed Forces.
“(3) Covered eligible individual.—In this subsection, a covered eligible individual is an individual described in subsection (b) who during the period beginning on August 24, 2021, and ending on January 10, 2023, was involuntarily or voluntarily separated from an Armed Force solely on the basis of the refusal of such individual to receive a vaccination against COVID-19.”. <all>
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