Vaccine Discharge Parity Act

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security, Cardiovascular and respiratory health, Emergency medical services and trauma care, Immunology and vaccination, Infectious and parasitic diseases, Military personnel and dependents, Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:  <p><b>Vaccine Discharge Parity Act</b></p> <p>This bill ensures that members of the Armed Forces who were granted a general discharge under honorable conditions (on the sole basis that the members failed to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccine for COVID-19) are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty and Post-9/11 GI Bill programs.</p> <p>The bill also extends certain loan fee rates through March 1, 2031, under the VA's home loan program.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 291 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 291

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that a member of the 
Armed Forces, granted a general discharge under honorable conditions on 
   the sole basis that such member failed to obey a lawful order to 
  receive a vaccine for COVID-19, is eligible for certain educational 
     assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 11, 2023

  Mr. Fitzgerald (for himself, Mr. Bost, Mr. Posey, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. 
Huizenga, Mr. Baird, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Hunt, 
Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. Mast, and Mr. Gaetz) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that a member of the 
Armed Forces, granted a general discharge under honorable conditions on 
   the sole basis that such member failed to obey a lawful order to 
  receive a vaccine for COVID-19, is eligible for certain educational 
     assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Vaccine Discharge Parity Act''.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR A MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES 
              GRANTED A GENERAL DISCHARGE UNDER HONORABLE CONDITIONS ON 
              THE SOLE BASIS THAT SUCH MEMBER FAILED TO OBEY A LAWFUL 
              ORDER TO RECEIVE A VACCINE FOR COVID-19.

    (a) All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance.--Section 
3011(a)(3)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``an honorable discharge;'' and inserting 
        an em dash; and
            (2) by inserting at the end the following new clauses:
                            ``(i) an honorable discharge; or
                            ``(ii) a general discharge under honorable 
                        conditions on the sole basis that the 
                        individual failed to obey a lawful order to 
                        receive a vaccine for COVID-19;''.
    (b) Post-9/11 Educational Assistance.--Section 3311(c) of such 
title is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(5) A general discharge under honorable conditions on the 
        sole basis that the individual failed to obey a lawful order to 
        receive a vaccine for COVID-19.''.
    (c) Loan Fees.--The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``January 14, 2031'' 
each place it appears and inserting ``March 1, 2031''.
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