; and (2) any period of absence from the United States due to the noncitizen having been removed, or being inadmissible, shall be disregarded when determining if the noncitizen satisfies any requirement relating to continuous residence or physical presence. 6. Access to military benefits A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence pursuant to section 2 shall be eligible for all military and veterans benefits for which the noncitizen would have been eligible if the noncitizen had never been ordered removed, been removed, or voluntarily departed, from the United States. 7. Implementation (a) Identification The Secretary of Homeland Security shall identify cases involving service members and veterans at risk of removal from the United States by— (1) inquiring of every noncitizen processed prior to initiating removal proceedings whether the noncitizen is serving, or has served, as a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty or as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces in an active status; (2) requiring personnel to seek supervisory approval prior to initiating removal proceedings against a service member or veteran; and (3) keeping records of service members and veterans who have had removal proceedings against them initiated, been detained, or been removed. (b) Record annotation When the Secretary has identified a case under subsection (a), the Secretary shall annotate all immigration and naturalization records of the Department of Homeland Security relating to the noncitizen involved so as to reflect that identification and afford an opportunity to track the outcomes for the noncitizen. Such annotation shall include— (1) the individual’s branch of military service; (2) whether or not the individual is serving, or has served, during a period of military hostilities described in section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1440 )