This bill would change Title 38 of the U.S. Code to extend certain Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits to former members of the Armed Forces who were separated or discharged because of sexual orientation or gender identity (including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria). It adds a new category in 38 U.S.C. 1710(a)(2) to cover individuals who received an entry-level separation, an honorable discharge, or a discharge under conditions other than honorable for those reasons. The bill also amends related VA programs so those individuals are eligible for Vet Center readjustment counseling (38 U.S.C. 1712A), interment in national cemeteries (38 U.S.C. 2402), Post-9/11 educational assistance (38 U.S.C. 3311), and VA housing loans (38 U.S.C. 3702). The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must conduct outreach to notify affected individuals and veterans and military service organizations about the available benefits. The Secretary must also submit a report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees within 15 months after enactment that shows how many people received benefits under these changes, with demographic breakdowns.
No publicly available information on the bill’s cost or budgetary effects is included in the bill text provided.
The bill, titled the "Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned Act" (SERVE Act), is written to extend VA benefits to former service members discharged because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Proponents have introduced the measure to ensure those individuals can access health care, counseling, burial benefits, education benefits, and housing loans and to require VA outreach and reporting on benefit use.
No publicly available information.