# What This Bill Does

This bill creates a new benefit for military members and veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart. It allows them to give their unused education benefits to family members. Specifically, if you served after September 11, 2001, and received a Purple Heart for a combat-related injury, you could now transfer up to 36 months of your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to your spouse, children, or other eligible dependents.

# Who This Affects and How

The main group affected is Purple Heart recipients who haven't used all their education benefits. Instead of losing those benefits when they leave the military or decide not to use them, they can now pass them along to help pay for their family members' education. This is particularly meaningful for service members who were injured in combat—the Purple Heart recognizes that sacrifice, and this bill extends that recognition by helping their families afford college or vocational training.

Family members who receive transferred benefits can use them just like the original service member would have. They get the same monthly payment amounts and can use the benefits for college, trade schools, or even to complete a high school diploma. There's one important catch: children have to wait until they finish high school or turn 18 before they can start using the benefits, and they generally need to use them by age 26. However, if a child is caring for the injured veteran as their primary caregiver, they get extra time to use the benefits after they stop providing that care.

# Important Protections Built In

The bill includes several safeguards. A Purple Heart recipient can change their mind and take back benefits they've transferred, as long as the family member hasn't already used them. The transferred benefits cannot be treated as property in a divorce, protecting them from being divided up in a split. If the service member passes away before transferring all their benefits, the law ensures those remaining benefits go to the family members they designated. The bill also allows family members who receive transferred benefits to pass them along to other eligible relatives if needed.

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.