Congress restores discharge status, pays $25K to women forced out for pregnancy
H.R. 660 — WISER Act of 2025 · Filed by Julia Brownley (D-CA) · 7 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 23, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to establish two programs for women veterans who were involuntarily separated from military service under Executive Order 10240 (which discharged women who became pregnant or had childcare responsibilities between 1951–1976): one program upgrades their discharge status, and a second provides a one-time $25,000 compensation payment. Surviving spouses of eligible veterans who die after the bill's enactment may also claim the compensation.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to remedy a historical wrong—the involuntary discharge of women from the military based on pregnancy or childcare status—by upgrading discharge status and providing compensation. This is a targeted remedial measure, not a broad entitlement or carve-out.
What the text implies
- Discharge status upgrades may retroactively entitle affected veterans to VA benefits (healthcare, disability, education) they were previously denied, creating a potential long-term fiscal exposure beyond the stated $25,000 compensation.
- The 'irrebuttable presumption' of eligibility for women separated under EO 10240 means no individual review of circumstances; all such women are automatically eligible unless they affirmatively opt out.
- Surviving spouses become eligible only if the veteran dies AFTER enactment, creating a time-dependent eligibility window that may incentivize rapid claims processing.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill directly benefits a historically wronged group of citizens—women forced out of the military for pregnancy or childcare—by restoring their discharge status and providing financial compensation. The remedy addresses a documented injustice with no apparent cost to the general public, and the $25,000 payment is a one-time appropriation.
Who stands to gain
- women veterans separated under Executive Order 10240
- surviving spouses of eligible veterans
Named in the bill
Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Executive Order 10240, women veterans (1951–1976 service period)
Where it stands
7 cosponsors: 7 Democrats.
- Jan 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,494 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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