Veterans Benefits Expansion Act Passes House of Representatives
Update: The House of Representatives has approved the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, which is intended to increase financial support for Gold Star families and severely injured veterans. It also expands VA loan options for Guard/Reserve members. The Act passed with a 235-179 vote and is now with the Senate.
The Senate read the bill and referred it to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where it is at press time under committee review and must be voted out of the Senate committee. Once it leaves the committee and is approved by the full Senate, the bill can advance to the president’s desk to be signed into law or vetoed.
The article below is preserved here for archival purposes.
Veterans Benefits Expansion Act Passes the House
Supporters say the bill is the largest expansion of veteran family benefits in decades, with enhanced benefits for more than 500,000 Gold Star families and more than 7,000 disabled veterans.
Supporters of the bill say that the policy affects benefit payment rates, which have been changed (beyond adjustments for inflation) since the 1990s.
Who Benefits?
The act raises Dependency and Indemnity Compensation payments for surviving spouses and dependents of deceased personnel, and severely disabled veterans who require continuous at-home medical assistance and daily care could see an additional $10,000 annually through the Special Monthly Compensation program.
The legislation also includes the Home Affordability for Guard and Reserve Act, which proposes expanded access to the VA loan program for Reservists.
Under current regulations, reserve component members must complete 6 years in the reserves before they are eligible for a VA home loan, or complete a minimum amount of time on active duty. VA.gov states, “If you’ve served for at least 90 continuous days (all at once, without a break in service), you meet the minimum active-duty service requirement.”
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Proposed Changes
The VA loan provision, if signed into law, would allow VA loans to those with 14 total days of qualifying service in a Reserve component. Advocates of the law say this VA loan change would meet the “operational reality” of service in the Guard or Reserve.
Supporters include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and the Wounded Warrior Project. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Gold Star Spouses of America, and the Military Officers Association of America also backed the legislation.
Here’s a list of the proposed changes within the Act. These proposed policy changes must still be approved by the Senate before moving to the President’s desk for signature. The act is not yet signed into law; this is a developing story. The following information is sourced via TrackBill.com:
- The bill establishes an additional monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans already eligible for a monthly VA Aid and Attendance allowance due to service-connected disabilities or traumatic brain injury.
- The bill increases Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) by an additional 1% the next time DIC is adjusted for cost of living and an additional 0.5% the following adjustment. DIC is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors of certain veterans who died due to a service-connected condition; service members killed in the line of duty; or veterans totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period.
- The bill expands eligibility for loans under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program to the reserve components and National Guard by expanding what qualifies as active duty.
- The bill includes annual training duty as qualifying active duty and grants eligibility for VA loan guarantees after 14 days of active-duty service (with an additional fee).
- Under the VA home loan program, the bill extends certain loan fee rates through September 30, 2036, and increases fees for refinancing and loan assumptions.
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
