January 31, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to allow veterans who received their Purple Heart after their service to transfer their GI Bill education benefits to their dependents. This bill would level the playing field for these veterans, since servicemembers who receive the Purple Heart while in active status are allowed to pass their well-earned benefits to their loved ones. The Purple Heart Veterans Education Act would close this loophole, allowing these benefits to be transferred to dependents.
“For decades, the GI Bill education benefits have helped create a more affordable and accessible path to higher education for veterans and their family members,” said Senator Angus King. “However, a current loophole prevents veterans who received a Purple Heart post-service from passing these benefits along to their dependents. I’m honored to join a bipartisan group of my colleagues in supporting the Purple Heart Veterans Education Act — proving once again that looking out for those who served is not a partisan issue. This simple fix continues to build on the promise we’ve made to our servicemembers, veterans and their families to return the same service that they so selflessly gave to our country.”
In 2017, Congress passed the Forever GI Bill, which incentivized servicemembers to continue their service in the military by allowing them to transfer their GI bill benefits to their dependents after they completed six years of service and agreed to serve an additional four. In 2018, the Department of Defense (DoD) expanded GI Bill transferability benefits to Purple Heart recipients, allowing them to transfer them to their dependents while on active duty. While this policy honors most wounded warriors, it leaves behind a small group of those who received their Purple Hearts after being discharged from the military.
Specifically the legislation would:
The bill is supported by Disabled Veterans of America (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
Representing one of the states with the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s service members, veterans and military families. Previously, he led the bipartisan Military Spouse Employment Act — pieces of which passed into law in the FY2024 NDAA — which allows military spouses to have a remote work career with any federal agency and helps them to maintain consistent employment should they move with their spouse. Last summer, he cosponsored bipartisan legislation that supports job flexibility for military families.
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