I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4944 
To restore certain non-monetary Federal benefits to remarried surviving 
spouses of members of the Armed Forces who die while serving on 
active duty, to provide student loan deferment for dislocated military 
spouses, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 26, 2023 
Ms. STEFANIK (for herself and Mr. NORCROSS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition 
to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Accountability, 
and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To restore certain non-monetary Federal benefits to remar-
ried surviving spouses of members of the Armed Forces 
who die while serving on active duty, to provide student 
loan deferment for dislocated military spouses, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Families and 
Surviving Spouses Benefits Enhancement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR REMARRIED SURVIVING 
SPOUSES 
OF 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
ARMED 
FORCES WHO DIE WHILE SERVING ON AC-
TIVE DUTY. 
(a) CIVIL SERVICE.— 
(1) 
PREFERENCE
ELIGIBLE.—Section 
2108(3)(D) of title 5, United States Code, is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘unmarried’’. 
(2) NONCOMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT.—Section 
3330d(a)(3)(B) of such title is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(B) who was married to a member of the 
Armed Forces on the date on which the mem-
ber dies while on active duty in the Armed 
Forces.’’. 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.— 
(1) SPECIAL
MARRIAGE
PROVISIONS.—Section 
103(d)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(C) The remarriage of the surviving spouse of a per-
son who died while serving in the active military, naval, 
air, or space service shall not bar the furnishing of non- 
monetary benefits to such surviving spouse.’’. 
(2) ELIGIBILITY
FOR
HOUSING
AND
SMALL 
BUSINESS LOANS.—Section 3701(b)(2) of title 38, 
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United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘(with-
out regard to whether such surviving spouse remar-
ries)’’ after ‘‘surviving spouse’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply beginning on the first day of the 
first month beginning after the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
SEC. 3. ACCESS TO COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE PRIVI-
LEGES FOR REMARRIED SPOUSES. 
(a) BENEFITS.—Section 1062 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary of Defense’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) CERTAIN UNREMARRIED FORMER SPOUSES.— 
The Secretary of Defense’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘commissary and exchange 
privileges’’ and inserting ‘‘use commissary stores 
and MWR retail facilities’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) CERTAIN REMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES.— 
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations 
as may be necessary to provide that a surviving spouse 
of a deceased member of the armed forces, regardless of 
the marital status of the surviving spouse, is entitled to 
use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the 
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same extent and on the same basis as an unremarried sur-
viving spouse of a member of the uniformed services. 
‘‘(c) MWR RETAIL FACILITIES DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘MWR retail facilities’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1063(e) of this title.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of such 
section 1062 is amended by inserting ‘‘and sur-
viving spouses’’ after ‘‘Certain former 
spouses’’. 
(2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 54 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by striking the item relat-
ing to section 1062 and inserting the following: 
‘‘1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses.’’. 
SEC. 4. STUDENT LOAN DEFERMENT FOR DISLOCATED 
MILITARY SPOUSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 455(f) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(f)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 
paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) DEFERMENT FOR DISLOCATED MILITARY 
SPOUSES.— 
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‘‘(A) DURATION
AND
EFFECT
ON
PRIN-
CIPAL AND INTEREST.—A borrower of a loan 
made under this part who meets the require-
ments of subparagraph (B) shall be eligible for 
a deferment for an aggregate period of 180 
days, during which periodic installments of 
principal need not be paid, and interest— 
‘‘(i) shall not accrue, in the case of 
a— 
‘‘(I) 
Federal 
Direct 
Stafford 
Loan; or 
‘‘(II) a Federal Direct Consolida-
tion Loan that consolidated only Fed-
eral Direct Stafford Loans, or a com-
bination of such loans and Federal 
Stafford Loans for which the student 
borrower received an interest subsidy 
under section 428; or 
‘‘(ii) shall accrue and be capitalized or 
paid by the borrower, in the case of a Fed-
eral Direct PLUS Loan, a Federal Direct 
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or a Federal 
Direct Consolidation Loan not described in 
clause (i)(II). 
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‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—A borrower of a loan 
made under this part shall be eligible for a 
deferment under subparagraph (A) if the bor-
rower— 
‘‘(i) is the spouse of a member of the 
Armed Forces serving on active duty; and 
‘‘(ii) has experienced a loss of employ-
ment as a result of relocation to accommo-
date a permanent change in duty station of 
such member. 
‘‘(C) DOCUMENTATION AND APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A borrower may 
establish eligibility for a deferment under 
subparagraph (A) by providing to the Sec-
retary— 
‘‘(I) the documentation described 
in clause (ii); or 
‘‘(II) such other documentation 
as the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
‘‘(ii) DOCUMENTATION.—The docu-
mentation described in this clause is— 
‘‘(I) evidence that the borrower is 
the spouse of a member of the Armed 
Forces serving on active duty; 
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‘‘(II) evidence that a military 
permanent change of station order 
was issued to such member; and 
‘‘(III)(aa) evidence that the bor-
rower is eligible for unemployment 
benefits due to a loss of employment 
resulting from relocation to accommo-
date such permanent change in duty 
station; or 
‘‘(bb) a written certification, or 
an equivalent as approved by the Sec-
retary, that the borrower is registered 
with a public or private employment 
agency due to a loss of employment 
resulting from relocation to accommo-
date such permanent change in duty 
station.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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