I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5112 

To provide eligibility for veterans benefits for individuals who served in 

the United States merchant marine in the Southeast Asia theater of 

operations during the Vietnam Era. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 15, 2014 

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide eligibility for veterans benefits for individuals 

who served in the United States merchant marine in 

the Southeast Asia theater of operations during the Vietnam Era. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. VETERANS BENEFITS FOR MERCHANT MARI4 NERS WHO SERVED DURING THE VIETNAM 

5 ERA IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA THEATER OF 

6 OPERATIONS. 

7 (a) ELIGIBILITY FOR VETERANS BENEFITS.—Not8 withstanding any other provision of law, the service of an 


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1 eligible individual described in subsection (b)(1) shall be 

2 considered to be active duty in determining the individ3 ual’s eligibility for veterans benefits under all laws admin4 istered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

5 (b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this Act, the term 

6 ‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual in the United 

7 States merchant marine who— 

8 (1) served as a crewmember of a vessel that 

9 was in oceangoing service during the Vietnam Era 

10 in the Southeast Asia theater of operations; and 

11 (2) receives a certificate of honorable discharge 

12 under subsection (c). 

13 (c) DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICE.— 

14 (1) CERTIFICATE OF HONORABLE DIS15 CHARGE.—The Secretary of Defense shall, upon ap16 plication, issue a certificate of honorable discharge 

17 to an individual in the United States merchant ma18 rine who served as a crewmember of a vessel that 

19 was in oceangoing service during the Vietnam Era 

20 in the Southeast Asia theater of operations who, as 

21 determined by the Secretary, engaged in service of 

22 a nature and duration that warrants issuance of the 

23 certificate. 

24 (2) STANDARDS RELATING TO SERVICE.—In 

25 carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 


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1 apply the same standards relating to the nature and 

2 duration of service that apply to the issuance of hon3 orable discharges under section 401(a)(1)(B) of the 

4 GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. 106 

5 note). 

6 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the following defini7 tions apply: 

8 (1) INDIVIDUAL IN THE UNITED STATES MER9 CHANT MARINE.—The term ‘‘individual in the 

10 United States merchant marine’’ means any citizen 

11 or resident alien of the United States serving as a 

12 civilian or civil service member of the United States 

13 merchant marine. 

14 (2) VIETNAM ERA.—The term ‘‘Vietnam Era’’ 

15 means— 

16 (A) the period beginning on February 28, 

17 1961, and ending on May 7, 1975, in the case 

18 of an individual in the United States merchant 

19 marine who served in the Republic of Vietnam 

20 during that period; and 

21 (B) the period beginning on August 5, 

22 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975, in all other 

23 cases. 


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1 SEC. 2. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. 

2 Section 1 shall apply to an individual eligible for vet3 erans benefits under subsection (a) of such section as if 

4 such section had been in effect as of the last date of the 

5 individual’s service described in subsection (b)(1) of such 

6 section. 

Æ 


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