To ensure that certain members of the Armed Forces who served in female cultural support teams receive proper credit for such service.

Bill Number: H.R. 6036
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-11-20: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Last Updated: 2026-06-25T08:08:15Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

This bill (H.R. 6036) aims to recognize and properly credit the service of U.S. Armed Forces members who served in female cultural support teams (CSTs). These teams provided cultural and intelligence support in combat zones, often in roles involving direct engagement with local populations. The legislation ensures this service is reflected in military records, retirement calculations, and veterans' benefits, treating it as equivalent to combat service for disability claims. It also requires studies, reports, and a minor adjustment to housing loan fees for veterans.

Key Provisions

Recognition of Covered Service (Section 1):
Defines "covered service" as active duty in a female CST with specific personnel skill identifiers (R2J or 5DK) from January 1, 2010, to August 31, 2021.
Requires the relevant military department secretaries (e.g., Secretary of the Army) to update service records and include this time in retirement pay calculations within one year of enactment.
For veterans' benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must treat covered service as "engagement in combat with the enemy" when evaluating claims for service-connected disabilities or deaths (meaning injuries or conditions linked to military duty).
Allows supplemental claims for past disabilities, with effective dates following standard VA rules (under 38 U.S.C. § 5110).
Mandates improved training for VA staff processing these claims, in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD).
Requires outreach, including website notices and notifications to veterans' organizations, to inform eligible individuals and survivors about filing supplemental claims.

Study and Report on Similar Service (Section 1(c)):
DoD and VA must jointly study and identify groups of service members whose unrecorded service is similar to covered service.
Submit a report to Congress within one year, detailing the size and nature of these groups.

Report on Disability Claims (Section 2):
VA must submit a report to congressional Veterans' Affairs committees within one year.
Covers claims for service-connected disabilities due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, a mental health condition from trauma) or traumatic brain injury (TBI, brain damage from impacts) filed since January 1, 1990.
Report includes numbers of claims submitted, granted, denied, unresolved, or appealed, broken down by claimant's gender and whether their record includes a combat identifier.

Housing Loan Fee Adjustment (Section 3):
Amends VA home loan fee rules (38 U.S.C. § 3729(b)(2)) by extending a temporary fee waiver or reduction period from November 15, 2031, to December 3, 2031.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

New Recognition for CST Service: Previously, service in female CSTs may not have been fully documented in records or treated as combat-equivalent for benefits. This bill mandates inclusion in records and retirement pay, and explicitly equates it to combat for VA disability determinations (a change from standard active duty treatment under 38 U.S.C. § 101).
Supplemental Claims and Outreach: Introduces requirements for VA to proactively notify and assist with reopening old claims, which wasn't specifically mandated before for this group.
Studies and Reporting: Adds new obligations for DoD and VA to investigate and report on similar overlooked services and historical PTSD/TBI claims, enhancing transparency without altering core benefit laws.
Loan Fee Extension: A minor tweak to an existing table of dates for reduced fees on VA-backed home loans, delaying a reversion to standard rates by about two weeks.

Potential Impacts

On Government Agencies: DoD will need to review and update thousands of records, potentially increasing administrative workload. VA faces added responsibilities for claims processing, training, outreach, and reporting, which could strain resources but improve efficiency for similar cases. Both agencies must collaborate on the study, possibly leading to broader policy reviews.
On Citizens: Primarily benefits female veterans (and their survivors) from CSTs by enabling higher retirement pay, faster disability approvals, and backdated benefits for combat-related conditions. This could result in financial relief for those previously under-credited. The loan fee extension provides a short-term advantage to all eligible veterans seeking home loans by keeping fees lower.
On International Relations: No direct impact, as the bill focuses on domestic military and veterans' policies.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Primary Beneficiaries: Women who served in female CSTs (estimated small groups, often Special Operations support roles in Afghanistan/Iraq), including active-duty, retired, and separated service members, plus their families for survivor benefits.
Government Entities: DoD (for records and retirement), VA (for benefits and outreach), and congressional committees on Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services (for oversight and reports).
Support Organizations: Veterans' service organizations (e.g., VFW, American Legion) will receive notifications and may assist with claims.
Broader Veterans Community: Indirectly affects those with similar unrecorded service, as the study could lead to future recognitions; also impacts all VA home loan applicants via the fee change.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Strengthens equal treatment under veterans' laws (38 U.S.C. and 10 U.S.C.) by addressing potential gaps in service documentation, reducing disputes over combat status. The combat-equivalency provision could set a precedent for recognizing non-traditional roles (e.g., support in hostile areas) as high-risk, easing proof burdens in disability claims without new funding mandates.
Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's authority over military pay/benefits (Article I, Section 8) and due process by ensuring fair record-keeping; no apparent conflicts with equal protection, though it highlights gender-specific service recognition.
Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (e.g., Reps. Issa, Miller-Meeks, Crow, Houlahan) signals consensus on honoring women's combat contributions, potentially advancing gender equity in military policy. The PTSD/TBI report may inform future mental health reforms, but the bill avoids controversy by focusing on administrative fixes rather than expanding benefits broadly.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]

Cosponsors (6)

Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1], Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6], Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27], Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Recent Actions

2025-11-20: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
2025-11-12: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-11-12: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-11-12: Introduced in House
2025-11-12: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

To ensure that certain members of the Armed Forces who served in female cultural support teams receive proper credit for such service. — issued 2025-11-12 — PDF (6 pages)