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119-hr-790119th CongressWALLET

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize an individual who is awarded the Purple Heart for service in the Armed Forces to transfer unused Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to a family member, and for other purposes.

Sponsored By: Representative Levin, Mike [D-CA-49]

In Committee

Summary

Transfer unused Post-9/11 educational benefits to eligible dependents. This bill lets Purple Heart recipients move unused Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement to family members and sets who can receive, change, or inherit those months.

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  • Veterans: Veterans awarded the Purple Heart for service on or after September 11, 2001 may elect to transfer portions of their Post-9/11 educational entitlement to one or more eligible dependents. The transferor names which dependent(s) get months and can modify or revoke the transfer at any time with written notice to the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Defense.
  • Dependents and children: Eligible dependents are those identified in 10 U.S.C. 1072(2) subparagraphs (A), (D), and (I). Dependents generally cannot use transferred benefits until finishing secondary school or reaching age 18, child transferees are exempt from the usual 15-year limit but must stop using benefits by age 26, and primary caregivers of seriously injured members may get a limited extension tied to caregiving duties.
  • Families and administration: Transferred entitlement is not treated as marital property and overpayments are joint liabilities of the dependent and the transferor. If the transferor dies the VA redistributes usable months among designated transferees, and the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Defense will coordinate regulations and implementation.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

Purple Heart veterans may transfer benefits

If enacted, a veteran awarded the Purple Heart for service on or after Sept. 11, 2001 would be able to transfer some Post‑9/11 education months to eligible dependents. The total transferred months could not exceed 36 months.

Liability and divorce rules for transfers

If enacted, both the dependent and the person who transferred months would be responsible to the U.S. for any overpayment on the dependent's benefits. The bill would also prohibit transferred entitlement from being treated as marital property or split in divorce.

Using transferred Post-9/11 education months

If enacted, each month a dependent uses would count as one month taken from the transferor's entitlement, and the dependent would get the same monthly payment rate the transferor would have received. A child could use transferred months without the usual 15‑year cutoff, but generally not after turning 26. A child could not start using months until finishing secondary school or age 18, except a child who was the veteran's primary caregiver could get extra months equal to the caregiving period. If an institution closed or an emergency stopped a program, VA would extend the use period by the months lost.

How to designate or change transfers

If enacted, the transferor would have to name which dependents get months and how many months each gets. The transferor could change or cancel any unused months by written notice to VA and the Defense Department. VA would write rules with DoD and treat the dependent as the eligible person for administration of the benefits.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Levin, Mike [D-CA-49]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 1/28/2025

  • Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 11/17/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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