Congress Moves to Right Historic Wrong for Women Veterans Forced Out of Military

For many years, women in the military had to leave their jobs when they became mothers, and they did not receive any benefits or help when they left. A new bill from Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) aims to fix this long-standing unfairness by offering money and more benefits from the VA to soldiers who were impacted.

The Women Involuntary Separated Earnings Remittance Act aims to improve military records and discharges for women who were wrongly separated. They also want to give eligible soldiers a one-time payment of $25,000 and increase VA healthcare access for affected individuals.

From 1951 to 1976, thousands of women were let go from the military because of Executive Order 10240. This order required separation for service members who got pregnant, adopted a child, won custody of a child, or lived with a stepchild for more than 30 days a year. The order was found to be illegal in 1976, but the women it impacted never got any compensation.

Brownley stressed that the bill is essential because firing women for becoming mothers is unfair and contributes to gender bias. This bill fixes that problem and makes things fair for these soldiers.

The law would affect women who served from April 27, 1951, to February 23, 1976, and also their husbands who are still alive. Eligible veterans are those who had a baby, got care of a child, adopted a child, or went through a miscarriage or abortion within 10 months of leaving service.

If approved, the bill would be a historic move to recognize and tackle a gender unfairness that the military has often ignored.

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