H.R. 8421

119 HR 8421 IH: Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-04-21
 text/xml
 EN
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 8421  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   April 21, 2026   Mr. Pappas  (for himself,  Mr. Levin ,  Ms. Jacobs , and  Ms. Dexter ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Veterans' Affairs    A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to former members of the Armed Forces, discharged on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, certain benefits furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned Act   or the   SERVE Act  .
2.
Extension to former members of the Armed Forces, discharged on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, of certain benefits furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(a)
Hospital care and medical services
Section 1710(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking  any veteran ;
(2)
in subparagraph (A), by inserting  any veteran  before  who has ;
(3)
in subparagraph (B), by inserting  any veteran  before  whose ;
(4)
in subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), by inserting  any veteran  before  who is ;
(5)
in subparagraph (F)—
(A)
by inserting  any veteran  before  who is ; and
(B)
by striking  ; or  and inserting a semicolon;
(6)
in subparagraph (G)—
(A)
by inserting  any veteran  before  who is ; and
(B)
by striking the period at the end and inserting  ; and ; and
(7)
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(H)
a former member of the Armed Forces who, by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity (including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria), received—
(i)
an entry-level separation;
(ii)
a discharge under honorable conditions; or
(iii)
a discharge under conditions other than honorable.
 .
(b)
Vet Center readjustment counseling and related mental health services
Section 1712A of such title is amended—
(1)
by striking  clauses (i) through (vii)  both places it appears and inserting  clauses (i) through (viii) ;
(2)
by striking  in clause (viii)  both places it appears and inserting  in clause (ix) ; and
(3)
in subsection (a)(1)(C)—
(A)
by redesignating clause (viii) as clause (ix); and
(B)
by inserting after clause (vii) the following new clause (viii):
(viii)
An individual described in section 1710(a)(2)(H) of this title.
 .
(c)
Interment in national cemeteries
Section 2402(a) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(11)
An individual described in section 1710(a)(2)(H) of this title.
 .
(d)
Post-9/11 educational assistance
Section 3311(b) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(12)
An individual described in section 1710(a)(2)(H) of this title.
 .
(e)
Housing loans
Section 3702(a)(2) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(H)
Each individual described in section 1710(a)(2)(H) of this title.
 .
(f)
Outreach
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct outreach to notify individuals described in section 1710(a)(2)(H) of such title, as added by subsection (a), and entities including veterans service organizations and military service organizations, of benefits available to such individuals under the amendments made by this section.
(g)
Report
Not later than 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on benefits provided individuals pursuant to amendments made by this Act during the year after such date. Such report shall include the number of such individuals who received such benefits, disaggregated by demographic categories.