To clarify and improve accountability for certain members of the Armed Forces during consideration for medical separation in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
No timeline data available
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights Act ensures that wounded service members retain due process protections during the military medical separation process. It confirms that military department secretaries—not the Defense Health Agency—maintain authority over fitness determinations, and provides wounded warriors the right to a full and fair hearing with appeals through the military chain of command.
Who Benefits and How
Wounded service members undergoing medical evaluation gain stronger due process rights, including the right to demand a full hearing and appeal through their chain of command. Military commanders retain operational control over their personnel throughout the disability evaluation process. Service members can have evaluations paused or withdrawn if proper procedures aren't followed.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Defense Health Agency loses authority over wounded warriors during disability evaluations despite administering medical facilities. DoD must update policies within 90 days to implement new appeal procedures. Military commanders must adjudicate appeals within 90 days, escalating to general court-martial convening authority if denied. Secretary of Defense must brief Congress by February 1, 2024.
Key Provisions
- Military department secretaries retain authority over fitness determinations, not DHA
- Wounded warriors guaranteed right to full and fair hearing if demanded
- Commanders can pause or withdraw members from evaluation if procedures not followed
- Appeals adjudicated within 90 days through chain of command
- Complete operational control remains with military chain from evaluation board to physical evaluation board
- Separate appeal rights beyond existing IDES options
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Strengthens accountability and due process protections for wounded service members during the military medical separation process, ensuring military chain of command retains authority over fitness determinations rather than Defense Health Agency.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
- "the_secretary_concerned"
- → Secretary of the military department (Army, Navy, Air Force)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A member of the Armed Forces being processed for potential medical separation at any point in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology