,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eaab  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ae1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,bishop of ,georgia introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to provide eligibility for  
veterans benefits for individuals who   
served in the ,united ,states merchant  
marine in the ,southeast ,asia theater  
of operations during the ,vietnam ,era4 
#a4 ,veterans benefits for merchant     
mariners who served during the ,vietnam 
,era in the ,southeast ,asia theater of 
operations  7a7 ,eligibility for        
veterans benefits ,notwithstanding any  
other provision of law1 the service of  
an eligible individual described in     
subsection 7b77#a7 shall be considered  
to be active duty in determining the    
individual's eligibility for veterans   
benefits under all laws administered by 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs4   
7b7 ,eligible individual ,in this ,act1 
the term eligible individual means an   

individual in the ,united ,states       
merchant marine who--  7#a7 served as a 
crewmember of a vessel that was in      
oceangoing service during the ,vietnam  
,era in the ,southeast ,asia theater of 
operations2 and  7#b7 receives a        
certificate of honorable discharge under
 subsection 7c74  7c7 ,documentation of 
service  7#a7 ,certificate of honorable 
discharge ,the ,secretary of ,defense   
shall1 upon application1 issue a        
certificate of honorable discharge to an
 individual in the ,united ,states      
merchant marine who served as a         
crewmember of a vessel that was in      
oceangoing service during the ,vietnam  
,era in the ,southeast ,asia theater of 
operations who1 as determined by the    
,secretary1 engaged in service of a     
nature and duration that warrants       
issuance of the certificate4  7#b7      
,standards relating to service ,in      
carrying out paragraph 7#a71 the        
,secretary shall apply the same         
standards relating to the nature and    

duration of service that apply to the   
issuance of honorable discharges under  
section #dja7;a77#a77;,b7 of the ,,gi   
,bill ,improvement ,act of #aigg 7#ch   
,u4,s4,c4 #ajf note74  7d7 ,definitions 
,in this ,act1 the following definitions
 apply3  7#a7 ,individual in the ,united
 ,states merchant marine ,the term      
individual in the ,united ,states       
merchant marine means any citizen or    
resident alien of the ,united ,states   
serving as a civilian or civil service  
member of the ,united ,states merchant  
marine4  7#b7 ,vietnam ,era ,the term   
,vietnam ,era means--  7,a7 the period  
beginning on ,february #bh1 #aifa1 and  
ending on ,may #g1 #aige1 in the case of
 an individual in the ,united ,states   
merchant marine who served in the       
,republic of ,vietnam during that       
period2 and  7,b7 the period beginning  
on ,august #e1 #aifd1 and ending on ,may
 #g1 #aige1 in all other cases4  #b4    
,retroactive applicability ,section #a  
shall apply to an individual eligible   

for veterans benefits under subsection  
7a7 of such section as if such section  
had been in effect as of the last date  
of the individual's service described in
 subsection 7b77#a7 of such section4