42 U.S.C. § 213 — Military benefits

(a) Rights, privileges, immunities, and benefits accorded to commissioned officers or their survivors. Except as subsection (b) provides, Public Health Service commissioned officers and their surviving beneficiaries are entitled — for active service performed (1) in time of war, (2) while detailed to duty with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or (3) while the Service is part of the U.S. military forces under a presidential Executive order — to all the rights, privileges, immunities, and benefits that any current or future U.S. law gives Army commissioned officers or their surviving beneficiaries because of active military service, except for retired pay and uniform allowances. (b) Award of decorations. The President may set the conditions under which Service commissioned officers may be awarded military ribbons, medals, and decorations. (c) Authority of Surgeon General. Whatever authority the Department of the Army, the Secretary of the Army, or other Department of the Army officers normally hold over the rights, privileges, immunities, and benefits described in subsection (a) is instead exercised, for Service commissioned officers, by the Surgeon General. (d) Active service deemed active military service with respect to laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. A Service commissioned officer's active service is treated as active military service in the U.S. Armed Forces for the purposes of every law the Secretary of Veterans Affairs administers, except the Servicemen's Indemnity Act of 1951, and for the purposes of section 417 of this title. (e) Active service deemed active military service with respect to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. That same active service is also treated as active military service in the U.S. Armed Forces for all rights, privileges, immunities, and benefits now or later provided under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. (f) Active service deemed active military service with respect to anti-discrimination laws. Finally, that active service is treated as active military service in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes of all laws related to discrimination based on race, color, sex, ethnicity, age, religion, and disability.