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To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to carry out programs to provide to certain veterans who are women a compensation benefit and an upgrade to the discharge status of such veterans, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill establishes two programs to provide benefits to women veterans who were involuntarily separated from active duty between April 27, 1951 and February 23, 1976. The discharge status upgrade program allows eligible women veterans to have their discharge status upgraded, with upgraded veterans treated as if they completed their military service for purposes of Veterans Affairs benefits. The compensation benefit program provides a one-time payment of $25,000 to covered veterans, with surviving spouses of deceased veterans also eligible. Eligibility includes women who were involuntarily separated under Executive Order 10240, with a rebuttable presumption of eligibility for those who gave birth, gained custody of a child, or experienced an incomplete pregnancy within 10 months of separation.
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)
7 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Julia Brownley’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $9,600
- HAAS AUTOMATION $9,100
- SPARAGNA & SPARAGNA $6,600
- HACKMAN CAPITAL $6,600
- UNITED STAFFING ASSOCIATES $6,600
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Julia Brownley → · Outside spending →
Actions (3)
- Mar 4, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. · house
- Jan 23, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Jan 23, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 23, 2025
Ms. Brownley (for herself, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Gottheimer, and Ms. Omar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to carry out programs to provide to certain veterans who are women a compensation benefit and an upgrade to the discharge status of such veterans, and for other purposes.
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 “Women Involuntarily Separated Earning Remittance Act of 2025” or the “WISER Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION BENEFIT AND DISCHARGE STATUS UPGRADES FOR CERTAIN VETERANS WHO ARE WOMEN DISCHARGED PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 10240.
(a) Discharge Status Upgrade Program.—
(1) In general.—Subject to the availability of amounts made available in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall establish and carry out a program to, subject to the eligibility criteria under subsection (c) and conditions to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, upgrade the discharge status of covered veterans.
(2) Applications.—A covered veteran desiring to participate in such program shall submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information and assurances as such Secretaries determine appropriate.
(3) Treatment of certain covered veterans.—With respect to the provision of benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, such Secretary shall treat a covered veteran who receives a discharge status upgrade pursuant to such program as if such covered veteran completed the duty to which such covered veteran was assigned at the time such covered veteran was separated from active military, naval, air, or space service.
(b) Compensation Benefit Program.—
(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish and carry out a program to provide to covered veterans, subject to the eligibility criteria under subsection (c) and paragraph
(2), a one-time compensation benefit in the amount of $25,000.
(2) Surviving spouse eligibility.—If a covered veteran who satisfies the eligibility criteria under subsection (c) dies after the date of the enactment of this Act, the surviving spouse of such covered veteran shall be eligible for participation in the program under paragraph (1).
(3) Applications.—A covered veteran, or the surviving spouse of a covered veteran, desiring to participate in such program shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information and assurances as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(4) Authorization of appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Defense such sums as may be necessary to carry out this subsection.
(c) Eligibility Criteria.—
(1) Irrebuttable presumption.—There is an irrebuttable presumption of eligibility for participation in the programs under subsections (a) and (b) for a covered veteran who was involuntarily separated from active military, naval, air, or space service pursuant to Executive Order 10240.
(2) Rebuttable presumptions.—There is a rebuttable presumption for eligibility for participation in such programs for a covered veteran who—
(A) gave birth to a child, obtained legal or physical custody of a child, or adopted a child during the 10-month period beginning after the date the veteran was separated from active military, naval, air, or space service; or
(B) experienced an incomplete pregnancy (including due to an abortion or miscarriage) during such 10-month period.
(d) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) The term “active military, naval, air, or space service” has the meaning given such term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.
(2) The term “covered veteran” means a veteran who—
(A) is a woman; and
(B) performed active military, naval, air, or space service during the period beginning on April 27, 1951 and ending on February 23, 1976. <all>
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