To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to ensure, under certain conditions, that members of the Armed Forces are automatically enrolled in benefits and services under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for which such members are eligible.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · August 24, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
This bill directs the Department of Defense to establish an automatic enrollment program that signs up separating military members for Veterans Affairs benefits they are eligible for within two years of the law's enactment. The program affects active duty military members who are participating in the military's Transition Assistance Program and are about to leave the service. The Defense Department must identify eligible benefits for each service member, notify them of available benefits, and enroll them automatically, though service members retain the right to opt out of enrollment. The bill requires the Defense Department to notify the Veterans Affairs Department at least 90 days before a service member separates, and Veterans Affairs must then contact the service member within 60 days with information about available benefits. The legislation also requires a working group to report within 180 days on implementation challenges and a Government Accountability Office study within 180 days on the best notification methods, with particular attention to how to reach veterans of different ages and those in rural and urban areas.
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