To provide for outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established pursuant to section 527 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 for the review of discharge characterizations, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 15, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
The Restore Honor to Service Members Act of 2023 establishes a dedicated Department of Defense outreach team, known as a "tiger team," to inform former service members about their right to have their military discharge characterizations reviewed and potentially changed to honorable status. The bill specifically targets veterans discharged under the military's former "don't ask, don't tell" policy and similar regulations, focusing on making them aware of a review process that was established in 2020. The Department of Defense must create this team within 60 days, report on its composition within 90 days, and submit a detailed implementation plan within 210 days that describes how it will identify eligible veterans, obtain their contact information, and conduct outreach in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs Department and veterans service organizations. The legislation also removes certain documentation barriers that may have prevented veterans from requesting discharge reviews and ensures that veterans whose discharges are upgraded to honorable status can receive retroactive veterans benefits dating back to their original discharge date. The tiger team will operate for approximately three years, with quarterly progress reports to Congress and a final report summarizing how many veterans were contacted and how many successfully upgraded their discharge characterizations.
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