Bipartisan bill would make it easier for military recruits with medical issues to land defense jobs

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill will introduce a bill on Wednesday to help Americans with physical issues disqualifying them from military service to find civilian jobs in the armed forces and defense industry.

The Defense Workforce Integration Act is sponsored by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of Congress.

The proposal, which seeks to support the thousands of Americans with physical issues that disqualify them from service, would target workforce shortages in critical areas, including manufacturing, cybersecurity and defense logistics.

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“Oftentimes, the U.S. Department of Defense will invest significant time and resources into military recruits’ training – only for those recruits to be taken out of consideration for medical reasons, many of which do not prohibit them from working to keep our nation safe,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one author of the bill.

Key provisions of the legislation include directing the Department of Defense to provide information about civilian employment opportunities to people who were medically disqualified from service during initial evaluations.

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The bill also aims to support service members disqualified early in their careers, expanding on existing Air Force best practices by establishing Army and Navy personnel management programs. These programs would facilitate recommendations to civilian hiring authorities in the Department of Defense, which improves access to the hiring process without guaranteeing jobs.

“Medical issues might prevent some patriotic Americans from active military service, but it doesn’t have to prevent them from finding other ways to serve our country,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a co-sponsor of the bill in the Upper Chamber.

The lawmakers want to turn a potential loss of talent into an opportunity by allowing the Department of Defense to retain people in whom they have already invested resources.

Reuters contributed to this report.