Stars of Valor

Fellowships Program

PURPOSE AFTER SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

The United States Senate Stars of Valor Fellowships Program

Eligilibity

There are three paths to eligibility for the Program: Qualified Veterans, Qualified Gold Star Family Members, and Qualified Active-Duty Military Spouses.

McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program

Qualified veteran fellowship candidates are veterans who provide documentation demonstrating that they meet all of the following criteria:

- Honorable discharge or a general discharge (DD214 or other official documentation);
- Released from active duty within the last five years;
- Terminal pay grade at or below E-5 (Enlisted), CW-2 (Chief Warrant Officers), or O-3 (Officers), including those promoted to the next grade within six months of separation from active duty; and
- Wounded or Disabled.
  - “Wounded” status is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 1129 and shall be recorded by the Department of Defense in a DD Form 214 or other official documents.
  - “Disabled” status is defined in 5 U.S.C. § 2108(2) and requires a service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater as documented by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship Program

Qualified Gold Star family member fellowship candidates include:

- The widow or widower (remarried or not) of the deceased servicemember or veteran who died of service-connected injuries.
- Each parent (mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parents who stood in loco parentis) of the deceased servicemember or veteran who died of service-connected injuries.
- Each child, stepchild, or adopted child of the deceased servicemember or veteran who died of service-connected injuries.
- Each brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister of the deceased servicemember veteran who died of service-connected injuries.

The family member must provide eligibility documentation as described below:

- Documentation of kinship, such as a marriage license or birth certificate; and
- Applicable documentation pertaining to the servicemember’s or veteran’s death:
  - Proof of death in the line of duty from the Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs including:
    - DD Form 1300 “Report of Casualty” (provided by the service casualty office);
    - DD Form 2064 “Certificate of Death” (Overseas); or
    - Other operative, relevant documentation provided by the Departments.
  - Proof of death due to service-connected injuries documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Active-Duty Military Spouse Fellowship Program

Qualified active-duty military spouse candidates include:

- Active-Duty military spouses at the time of application must be the spouse of an active-duty U.S. Armed Forces servicemember.
  - Active-Duty servicemembers work for the U.S. Armed Forces full-time and are subject to permanent change of station, or permanent change of assignment orders, upon completion of each tour of duty.
- Those servicemembers subject to Title X mobilization are not eligible.

The active-duty military spouse must provide eligibility documentation as described below:

- Proof of spouse’s active-duty service, such as a Department of Defense issued Common Access Card.
- Documentation of marriage to the active-duty servicemember, such as a marriage certificate or a Department of Defense Uniformed Services identification card.

Program Benefits

Paid, two-year full-time employment
In-depth exposure to the legislative process, including Senate operations
Comprehensive insight into public policy development
Federal Employee Health Benefits
Holiday & leave accruals
Valuable networking opportunities in Government Relations, particularly with other Senate staff
Chance to make lasting relationships with Senators, congressional staff, issue advocates, and constituents nationwide