H. R. 7776—1643 
contains an adequate number of qualified marine inspec-
tors. 
(c) STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with 
the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health, shall conduct a study on the health of marine 
inspectors and marine investigators who have served as such 
inspectors or investigators for a period of not less than 10 
years. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The study required under paragraph (1) 
shall include the following: 
(A) An evaluation of— 
(i) the daily vessel inspection duties of marine 
inspectors and marine investigators, including the 
examination of internal cargo tanks and voids and 
new construction activities; 
(ii) major incidents to which marine inspectors 
and marine investigators have had to respond, and 
any other significant incident, such as a vessel cas-
ualty, that has resulted in the exposure of marine 
inspectors and marine investigators to hazardous 
chemicals or substances; and 
(iii) the types of hazardous chemicals or substances 
to which marine inspectors and marine investigators 
have been exposed relative to the effects such chemicals 
or substances have had on marine inspectors and 
marine investigators. 
(B) A review and analysis of the current Coast Guard 
health and safety monitoring systems, and recommenda-
tions for improving such systems, specifically with respect 
to the exposure of members of the Coast Guard to haz-
ardous substances while carrying out inspections and inves-
tigation duties. 
(C) Any other element the Secretary considers appro-
priate. 
(3) REPORT.—Upon completion of the study required under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives a report on the findings of the study 
and recommendations for actions the Commandant should take 
to improve the health and exposure of marine inspectors and 
marine investigators. 
(d) TERMINATION.—The authority provided by subsection (a) 
shall terminate on December 31, 2028. 
SEC. 11238. EXPANSION OF ABILITY FOR SELECTION BOARD TO REC-
OMMEND OFFICERS OF PARTICULAR MERIT FOR PRO-
MOTION. 
Section 2116(c)(1) of title 14, United States Code, is amended, 
in the second sentence, by inserting ‘‘three times’’ after ‘‘may not 
exceed’’. 
SEC. 11239. MODIFICATION TO EDUCATION LOAN REPAYMENT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2772 of title 14, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
H. R. 7776—1644 
‘‘§ 2772. Education loan repayment program for members on 
active duty in specified military specialties 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) REPAYMENT.—Subject to the provisions of this section, 
the Secretary may repay— 
‘‘(A) any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under 
part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) any loan made under part D of such title 
(the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, 
20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.); 
‘‘(C) any loan made under part E of such title 
(20 U.S.C. 1087aa et seq.); or 
‘‘(D) any loan incurred for educational purposes 
made by a lender that is— 
‘‘(i) an agency or instrumentality of a State; 
‘‘(ii) a financial or credit institution (including 
an insurance company) that is subject to examina-
tion and supervision by an agency of the United 
States or any State; 
‘‘(iii) a pension fund approved by the Secretary 
for purposes of this section; or 
‘‘(iv) a nonprofit private entity designated by 
a State, regulated by such State, and approved 
by the Secretary for purposes of this section. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—Repayment of any such loan shall be 
made on the basis of each complete year of service performed 
by the borrower. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary may repay loans described 
in paragraph (1) in the case of any person for service performed 
on active duty as a member in an officer program or military 
specialty specified by the Secretary. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNT.—The portion or amount of a loan that may be 
repaid under subsection (a) is 331⁄3 percent or $1,500, whichever 
is greater, for each year of service. 
‘‘(c) INTEREST ACCRUAL.—If a portion of a loan is repaid under 
this section for any year, interest on the remainder of such loan 
shall accrue and be paid in the same manner as is otherwise 
required. 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to authorize refunding any repayment of a loan. 
‘‘(e) FRACTIONAL CREDIT FOR TRANSFER.—An individual who 
transfers from service making the individual eligible for repayment 
of loans under this section (as described in subsection (a)(3)) to 
service making the individual eligible for repayment of loans under 
section 16301 of title 10 (as described in subsection (a)(2) or (g) 
of that section) during a year shall be eligible to have repaid 
a portion of such loan determined by giving appropriate fractional 
credit for each portion of the year so served, in accordance with 
regulations of the Secretary concerned. 
‘‘(f) SCHEDULE FOR ALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall prescribe 
a schedule for the allocation of funds made available to carry 
out the provisions of this section and section 16301 of title 10 
during any year for which funds are not sufficient to pay the 
sum of the amounts eligible for repayment under subsection (a) 
and section 16301(a) of title 10.
H. R. 7776—1645 
‘‘(g) FAILURE TO COMPLETE PERIOD OF SERVICE.—Except an 
individual described in subsection (e) who transfers to service 
making the individual eligible for repayment of loans under section 
16301 of title 10, a member of the Coast Guard who fails to 
complete the period of service required to qualify for loan repayment 
under this section shall be subject to the repayment provisions 
of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORITY TO ISSUE REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may 
prescribe procedures for implementing this section, including stand-
ards for qualified loans and authorized payees and other terms 
and conditions for making loan repayments. Such regulations may 
include exceptions that would allow for the payment as a lump 
sum of any loan repayment due to a member under a written 
agreement that existed at the time of a member’s death or dis-
ability.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 27 of title 
14, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating 
to section 2772 and inserting the following: 
‘‘2772. Education loan repayment program for members on active duty in specified 
military specialties.’’. 
SEC. 11240. RETIREMENT OF VICE COMMANDANT. 
Section 303 of title 14, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a)(2) to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) A Vice Commandant who is retired while serving as Vice 
Commandant, after serving not less than 2 years as Vice Com-
mandant, shall be retired with the grade of admiral, except as 
provided in section 306(d).’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘or Vice Commandant’’ 
and inserting ‘‘or as an officer serving as Vice Commandant 
who has served less than 2 years as Vice Commandant’’. 
SEC. 11241. REPORT ON RESIGNATION AND RETIREMENT PROCESSING 
TIMES AND DENIAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Commandant 
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that evalu-
ates resignation and retirement processing timelines. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under subsection (a) shall 
include, for the preceding calendar year— 
(1) statistics on the number of resignations, retirements, 
and other separations that occurred; 
(2) the processing time for each action described in para-
graph (1); 
(3) the percentage of requests for such actions that had 
a command endorsement; 
(4) the percentage of requests for such actions that did 
not have a command endorsement; and 
(5) for each denial of a request for a command endorsement 
and each failure to take action on such a request, a detailed 
description of the rationale for such denial or failure to take 
such action. 
SEC. 11242. CALCULATION OF ACTIVE SERVICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 25 of title 14, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
H. R. 7776—1646 
‘‘§ 2515. Calculation of active service 
‘‘Any service described, including service described prior to 
the date of enactment of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization 
Act of 2022, in writing, including by electronic communication, 
by a representative of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center 
as service that counts toward total active service for regular retire-
ment under section 2152 or section 2306 shall be considered by 
the President as active service for purposes of applying section 
2152 or section 2306 with respect to the determination of the 
retirement qualification for any officer or enlisted member to whom 
a description was provided.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 25 of title 
14, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 2515 the following: 
‘‘2515. Calculation of active service.’’. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a)— 
(1) shall only apply to officers of the Coast Guard that 
entered active service after January 1, 1997, temporarily sepa-
rated for a period of time, and have retired from the Coast 
Guard before January 1, 2024; and 
(2) shall not apply to any member of any other uniformed 
service, or to any Coast Guard member regarding active service 
of the member in any other uniformed service. 
SEC. 11243. PHYSICAL DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEM PROCEDURE 
REVIEW. 
(a) STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall complete a study on the Coast Guard Physical 
Disability Evaluation System and medical retirement proce-
dures. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—In completing the study required under 
paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall review, and pro-
vide recommendations to address, the following: 
(A) Coast Guard compliance with all applicable laws, 
regulations, and policies relating to the Physical Disability 
Evaluation System and the Medical Evaluation Board. 
(B) Coast Guard compliance with timelines set forth 
in— 
(i) the instruction of the Commandant entitled 
‘‘Physical Disability Evaluation System’’ issued on May 
19, 2006 (COMDTNST M1850.2D); and 
(ii) the Physical Disability Evaluation System 
Transparency Initiative (ALCGPSC 030/20). 
(C) An evaluation of Coast Guard processes in place 
to ensure the availability, consistency, and effectiveness 
of counsel appointed by the Coast Guard Office of the 
Judge Advocate General to represent members of the Coast 
Guard undergoing an evaluation under the Physical Dis-
ability Evaluation System. 
(D) The extent to which the Coast Guard has and 
uses processes to ensure that such counsel may perform 
the functions of such counsel in a manner that is impartial, 
including being able to perform such functions without