,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cceb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #bh1 
#bjbc,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself1 ,mrs4   
,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,young1 and ,ms4      
,collins7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,armed ,services  ,a  
,,bill  ,to provide for outreach to     
build awareness among former members of 
the ,armed ,forces of the process       
established pursuant to section #ebg of 
the ,national ,defense ,authorization   
,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for the    
review of discharge characterizations1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,restore ,honor to ,service ,members    
,act of #bjbc4  #b4 ,tiger ,team for    
outreach to former members  7a7         
,establishment of ,tiger ,team  7#a7 ,in
 general ,not later than #fj days after 
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary of ,defense shall        
establish a team 7commonly known as a   

tiger team and referred to in this      
section as the ,tiger ,team7 responsible
 for conducting outreach to build       
awareness among former members of the   
,armed ,forces of the process           
established pursuant to section #ebg of 
the ,national ,defense ,authorization   
,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj 7,public   
,law #aaf-ib2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note7 
for the review of discharge             
characterizations by appropriate        
discharge boards4 ,the ,tiger ,team     
shall consist of appropriate personnel  
of the ,department of ,defense assigned 
to the ,tiger ,team by the ,secretary   
for purposes of this section4  7#b7     
,tiger ,team leader ,one of the         
individuals assigned to the ,tiger ,team
 under paragraph 7#a7 shall be a        
senior-level officer or employee of the 
,department who shall serve as the lead 
official of the ,tiger ,team 7in this   
section referred to as the ,tiger ,team 
,leader7 and who shall be accountable   
for the activities of the ,tiger ,team  

under this section4  7#c7 ,report on    
composition ,not later than #ij days    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to    
,congress a report setting forth the    
names of the personnel of the           
,department assigned to the ,tiger ,team
 pursuant to this subsection1 including 
the positions to which such personnel   
are assigned4 ,the report shall specify 
the name of the individual assigned as  
,tiger ,team ,leader4  7b7 ,duties  7#a7
 ,in general ,the ,tiger ,team shall    
conduct outreach to build awareness     
among veterans of the process           
established pursuant to section #ebg of 
the ,national ,defense ,authorization   
,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for the    
review of discharge characterizations by
 appropriate discharge boards4  7#b7    
,collaboration ,in conducting activities
 under this subsection1 the ,tiger ,team
 ,leader shall identify appropriate     
external stakeholders with whom the     
,tiger ,team shall work to carry out    

such activities4 ,such stakeholders     
shall include the following3 7,a7 ,the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs4  7,b7 
,the ,archivist of the ,united ,states4 
7,c7 ,representatives of veterans       
service organizations4  7,d7 ,such other
 stakeholders as the ,tiger ,team       
,leader considers appropriate4  7#c7    
,initial report ,not later than #baj    
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense   
shall submit to ,congress the following3
 7,a7 ,a plan setting forth the         
following3 7i7 ,a description of the    
manner in which the ,secretary1 working 
through the ,tiger ,team and in         
collaboration with external stakeholders
 described in paragraph 7#b71 shall     
identify individuals who meet the       
criteria in section #ebg7;b7 of the     
,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for review of   
discharge characterization4  7ii7 ,a    
description of the manner in which the  
,secretary1 working through the ,tiger  

,team and in collaboration with the     
external stakeholders1 shall improve    
outreach to individuals who meet the    
criteria in section #ebg7;b7 of the     
,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for review of   
discharge characterization1 including   
through-- 7,i7 obtaining contact        
information on such individuals2 and    
7,,ii7 contacting such individuals on   
the process established pursuant to     
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj for the review of discharge       
characterizations4  7,b7 ,a description 
of the manner in which the work         
described in clauses 7i7 and 7ii7 of    
subparagraph 7,a7 will be carried out1  
including an allocation of the work     
among the ,tiger ,team and the external 
stakeholders4  7,c7 ,a schedule for the 
implementation1 carrying out1 and       
completion of the plan required under   
subparagraph 7,a74  7,d7 ,a description 
of the additional funding1 personnel1 or

 other resources of the ,department     
required to carry out the plan required 
under subparagraph 7,a71 including any  
modification of applicable statutory or 
administrative authorities4  7#d7       
,implementation of plan  7,a7 ,in       
general ,the ,secretary shall implement 
and carry out the plan submitted under  
subparagraph 7,a7 of paragraph 7#c7 in  
accordance with the schedule submitted  
under subparagraph 7,c7 of that         
paragraph4  7,b7 ,updates ,not less     
frequently than once every #ij days     
after the submittal of the report under 
paragraph 7#c71 the ,tiger ,team shall  
submit to ,congress an update on the    
carrying out of the plan submitted under
 subparagraph 7,a7 of that paragraph4   
7#e7 ,final report ,not later than #c   
years after the date of the enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,tiger ,team shall      
submit to the ,committees on ,armed     
,services of the ,senate and the ,house 
of ,representatives a final report on   
the activities of the ,tiger ,team under

 this subsection4 ,the report shall set 
forth the following3 7,a7 ,the number of
 individuals discharged under former    
section #fed or a similar policy prior  
to the enactment of former section #fed4
  7,b7 ,the number of individuals       
described in subparagraph 7,a7 who      
availed themselves of a review of       
discharge characterization 7whether     
through discharge review or correction  
of military records7 through a process  
established prior to the enactment of   
this ,act4  7,c7 ,the number of         
individuals contacted through outreach  
conducted pursuant to this section4     
7,d7 ,the number of individuals         
described in subparagraph 7,a7 who      
availed themselves of a review of       
discharge characterization through the  
process established pursuant to section 
#ebg of the ,national ,defense          
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj4  7,e7 ,the number of individuals 
described in subparagraph 7,d7 whose    
review of discharge characterization    

resulted in a change of characterization
 to honorable discharge4  7,f7 ,the     
total number of individuals described in
 subparagraph 7,a71 including           
individuals also covered by subparagraph
 7,e71 whose review of discharge        
characterization since ,september #bj1  
#bjaa1 resulted in a change of          
characterization to honorable discharge4
  7#f7 ,termination ,on the date that is
 #fj days after the date on which the   
final report required by paragraph 7#e7 
is submitted1 the ,secretary shall      
terminate the ,tiger ,team4  7c7        
,additional reports  7#a7 ,review ,the  
,secretary of ,defense shall conduct a  
review of the consistency and uniformity
 of the reviews conducted pursuant to   
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj4  7#b7 ,reports ,not later than   
#bgj days after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act1 and each year   
thereafter for a four-year period1 the  
,secretary of ,defense shall submit to  

,congress a report on the reviews under 
paragraph 7#a74 ,such reports shall     
include any comments or recommendations 
for continued actions4  7d7 ,former     
section #fed defined ,in this section1  
the term former section #fed means      
section #fed of title #aj1 ,united      
,states ,code1 as in effect before such 
section was repealed pursuant to ,public
 ,law #aaa-cba 7#aj ,u4,s4,c4 #fed      
note74  #c4 ,relief for impacted former 
members  7a7 ,review of discharge  7#a7 
,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense 
shall review and update existing        
guidance to ensure that the appropriate 
discharge board for the military        
departments concerned shall review a    
discharge characterization of the       
covered member as required under section
 #ebg of the ,national ,defense         
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj at the request of a covered       
member1 or their representative1        
notwithstanding any requirements to     
provide documentation necessary to      

initiate a review of a discharge        
characterization4  7#b7 ,exception ,the 
appropriate discharge board for the     
military departments concerned shall not
 be required to initiate a request for a
 review of a discharge as described in  
paragraph 7#a7 if there is evidence     
available to the discharge board that is
 unrelated to the material request of   
the covered member or the representative
 of the covered member but that would   
have reasonably substantiated the       
discharge decision of the military      
department4  7b7 ,veterans benefits     
7#a7 ,effective date of change of       
characterization for veterans benefits  
,for purposes of the provision of       
benefits to which veterans are entitled 
under the laws administered by the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to a   
covered member whose discharge          
characterization is changed pursuant to 
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-ib2 #aj        

,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note71 the date of      
discharge of the member from the ,armed 
,forces shall be deemed to be the       
effective date of the change of         
discharge characterization under that   
section4  7#b7 ,rule of construction    
,nothing in this subsection shall be    
construed to authorize any benefit to a 
covered member in connection with the   
change of discharge characterization of 
the member under section #ebg of the    
,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj 7,public ,law   
#aaf-ib2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note7 for  
any period before the effective date of 
the change of discharge                 
characterization4