Kiggans’ Bipartisan Bill Fights for Fairness in Military Medical Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the Qualified for Service Act to ensure that qualified young Americans are not unfairly barred from serving due to outdated or resolved childhood medical diagnoses.

The bill establishes uniform medical evaluation standards, provides a fair review process, and prohibits disqualification based solely on childhood conditions that no longer affect the applicant. 

Rep. Kiggans said,“For too long, we’ve seen future leaders, including top students, athletes, and scholarship recipients, disqualified from military service because of outdated diagnoses they no longer have. The Qualified for Service Act is a commonsense solution that makes our accession system more consistent and medically accurate while maintaining a ready and fit fighting force. It is far past time to ensure greater consistency, transparency, and fairness in military recruiting.

Fresh off the heels of a military recruiting crisis—that in 2022 and 2023 saw the Army miss its recruiting goal by nearly twenty-five percent—we can’t afford to turn away those able and willing to serve. While things are getting better today, with nearly all services meeting their recruiting goals, we still must keep our foot on the gas and ensure we have enough men and women prepared to defend our country. My Qualified for Service Act works to do just that.” 

Rep. Bacon stated, “As a veteran who served nearly 30 years in the Air Force, I’m cosponsoring the Qualified for Service Act to ensure qualified young Americans aren’t denied the opportunity to serve their country due to outdated childhood medical diagnoses that no longer affect their fitness to serve. The bipartisan legislation will modernize our military’s medical standards while maintaining the high standards essential for military readiness and national security. I’ve seen the need for this firsthand in my dealings with leaders at Boys Town. I look forward to working with Rep. Kiggans on advancing this important measure through the NDAA with support from the House Armed Services Committee.”

Inspired in part by constituent stories, including a promising West Point applicant disqualified for a resolved childhood diagnosis, the bill aims to remove unnecessary barriers that prevent talented, capable Americans from serving their country.

Tim Rapine, the father of a student denied admission to a service academy, stated, “‘The Qualified for Service Act’ is important for many reasons, but it can hopefully focus on selection of the best candidates and keep the standards strong. There are amazing young men and women in our country that want to serve and are being disqualified for reasons that don’t make sense. There are leading members of the military that believe this process needs to be reformed. We are taking opportunities away from our next generations and we are potentially losing out on the next generation leaders of our military with the current process.”

This bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Don Davis (NC-01), Rob Wittman (VA-01), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Don Bacon (NE-02), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), and Greg Murphy (NC-03). 

Read the bill here.

Read a one pager here.

Background:

• Each year, the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB) disqualifies thousands of applicants for childhood conditions they have long outgrown, like anxiety or ADHD. 
• Without a clear, uniform standard, these decisions often vary by service and source of commission, creating confusion and unfair outcomes. 
• The Qualified for Service Act ensures that the military evaluates medical fitness based on current health—not outdated medical records.

What the Qualified for Service Act Does:

• Establishes consistent medical standards across officer commissioning sources and enlisted specialties
• Requires publication of medical standards and waiver/appeals processes in plain language
• Prohibits disqualification based solely on childhood diagnoses (before age 13) if untreated for 5+ years and the applicant is now medically fit
• Allows service secretaries to admit applicants in the national interest
• Mandates annual reports to Congress on medical disqualifications and policy updates

Rep. Kiggans’ previous work to bolster military recruiting: 

• In October 2023, Rep. Kiggans introduced H.R. 5956, the GI Bill Improvement Act of 2023. to provide more resources for veterans looking to use GI Bill benefits. Read more here. 
• On December 11, 2024 Rep. Kiggans helped to shape the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) through her work on the Quality of Life Task Force. 
• On April 10, 2025, Rep. Kiggans introduced the bipartisan Engaging Next-Generation Leaders in Information about Service and Training (ENLIST) Act to require high schools to prominently display military recruiting information so students can fully consider service as a path after graduation. Read more here.  
• On May 1, 2025, Rep. Kiggans introduced the bicameral Service Enlistment and Recruitment of Valuable Engagement (SERVE) Act to enhance military recruitment by promoting the benefits of service and expanding access for high school students. Read more here. 
• On June 4, 2025, Rep. Kiggans spoke out at an Army Posture hearing about how outdated medical standards are hurting Army recruitment. Watch here.