The Women Involuntarily Separated Earning Remittance (WISER) Act of 2025 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to implement two parallel programs for certain women veterans who were involuntarily separated from service under Executive Order 10240 (EO 10240). First, a discharge status upgrade program would allow eligible veterans to have their discharge status upgraded, with VA and DoD coordinating eligibility and processing. Second, a one-time compensation benefit of $25,000 would be provided to eligible veterans (and, if applicable, to their surviving spouses after enactment). The bill also sets presumptions to determine eligibility and defines who counts as a “covered veteran.” The programs are subject to appropriations and apply to a historical group of service members who served between April 27, 1951 and February 23, 1976.
Key Points
- 1Discharge Status Upgrade Program: VA and DoD would establish and run a program to upgrade the discharge status of eligible veterans, with treatment of benefits as if the veteran had completed the service in question at the time of separation.
- 2Compensation Benefit Program: DoD would provide a one-time $25,000 payment to eligible covered veterans, with surviving spouses eligible if the veteran dies after enactment.
- 3Eligibility Presumptions: There is an irrebuttable presumption of eligibility for involuntary separations under EO 10240; there are rebuttable presumptions for eligibility if the veteran gave birth, took custody of a child, adopted a child, or experienced an incomplete pregnancy (e.g., abortion or miscarriage) within 10 months after separation.
- 4Covered Veteran Definition: A woman who served in active military, naval, air, or space service during the period from April 27, 1951 to February 23, 1976.
- 5Applications and Funding: Veterans or their surviving spouses can apply to DoD (and VA for the discharge upgrade), and the bill authorizes the necessary appropriations to carry out these programs.