Sponsors (9)
The bill provides formal recognition and memorial benefits to Cadet Nurse Corps members and their families, but it stops short of granting broader VA benefits or Arlington interment and imposes modest administrative costs to implement.
Cadet Nurse Corps members and their families will be entitled to VA headstones, markers, and related memorial benefits under chapters 23 and 24, ensuring an official memorial for their service.
Cadet Nurse Corps members who receive honorable discharges will be formally recognized as veterans, providing official veteran status and the social/legal recognition that accompanies it.
Cadet Nurse Corps members and their families will have access to DoD-authorized medals or commemorations, giving tangible recognition and additional memorial options.
Cadet Nurse Corps members and their families will not become eligible for broader VA benefits (like medical care or compensation) based solely on this recognition, limiting practical support.
Families who hoped for Arlington National Cemetery interment entitlement based solely on this recognition will remain ineligible, potentially disappointing eligible veterans and their relatives.
Implementing discharge reviews and producing commemorations will create administrative costs for the Department of Defense and VA, which will be funded by taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Treats honorable Cadet Nurse Corps service (7/1/1943–12/31/1948) as "active duty" for VA headstones/markers, requires DoD review and possible honorable discharges, and allows DoD to issue commemorative medals.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Michael Lawler · Last progress November 20, 2025
Treats members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps who served honorably between July 1, 1943 and December 31, 1948 as having performed “active duty” for the narrow purpose of eligibility for VA headstones, markers, and related memorial benefits, while excluding automatic entitlement to Arlington National Cemetery interment based solely on that service. The Secretary of Defense must review Cadet Nurse Corps service and may issue honorable discharges within one year when the nature and duration of the service warrant it; recipients will be honored as veterans for recognition purposes but generally will not gain other VA-administered benefits from this service. The Secretary of Defense may also create a service medal, plaque, gravemarker, or other commendation for those who receive such discharges.