FOR RELEASE: December 11, 2001

House Approves Major Veterans Legislation
Two Measures Sent To White House For Action By President 
One Bill Awaits Final Action By Senate

WASHINGTON, DC - The House of Representatives today gave final approval to major veterans legislation.  After receiving overwhelming House approval, two measures were sent to the White House to be signed into law by President Bush.  

The first measure, H.R. 2540, The Veterans Benefits Act, provides a 2.6% cost-of-living increase (COLA) in benefits received by service-disabled veterans and to veterans’ survivors in receipt of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).  The increase in benefits is effective December 1, 2001, and will be received in benefits paid to veterans and their families in 2002. 

Lane Evans (D-IL), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called passage of the 2.6% COLA “significant and welcome by veterans and their dependents.” 

“The importance of H.R. 2540 cannot be overstated,” Evans continued.  “It protects the purchasing power of disability benefits which our Nation’s service-disabled veterans have earned by virtue of their military service and provides similar protection for DIC recipients.” 

The 2.6% COLA provided to veterans is the same COLA that will be provided to Social Security recipients.  

Evans also praised House passage of H.R. 2716, the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act.  The legislation will now be sent to the President for his signature.  

Evans, who has led the fight to enact comprehensive homeless veterans legislation, said, “the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 recognizes and addresses the needs of a special group of veterans, our Nation’s homeless veterans.  Veterans who have served this Nation in uniform to the best of their ability have earned from a grateful Nation not only our thanks, but also the support and assistance they need to secure a better life for themselves.   

Evans explained that H.R. 2716 builds upon past successes and provides VA and its community-based providers additional opportunities to succeed.  “This progressive legislation will provide for new and expanded programs to enable homeless veterans to lead a renewed life free from the trauma, stigma and hopelessness of life on the street,” Evans added.  More resources are badly needed to help our homeless veterans.  This legislation provides authorizations for additional funding, more innovative programs, opportunities to obtain the views of experts and other valuable tools.”  

Evans had originally introduced comprehensive homeless veterans legislation in the 106^th Congress.  Earlier this year, he again introduced comprehensive legislation that received the support of more than 130 bipartisan cosponsors.  A summary of H.R. 2716 is attached. 

Evans also praised House approval of legislation, H.R. 1291, increasing the amount of educational benefits veterans receive and making improvements in numerous other VA benefits.  Evans, a beneficiary of veterans education benefits himself, introduced H.R. 320 with Congressman John Dingell (D-MI) earlier this year.  The Evans-Dingell legislation had been based on earlier recommendations made by a Congressional commission chaired by Tony Principi, the current Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  Principi had welcomed the Evans-Dingell legislation as it would have provided today’s young men and women education benefits like those provided to veterans of World War II.   

While the House-passed measure falls short of attaining the long-term goals embodied by the Evans-Dingell legislation, H.R. 1291, the “Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001,” does provide significant improvements to VA education benefits: 

·     For periods of active duty that span three or more years, increases the amount of educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) for approved full-time studies from the current monthly rate of $672 to $800 effective January 1, 2002; $900 effective October 1, 2003; and $985 effective October 1, 2004.  

·     When MGIB eligibility is based on an obligated period of active duty of two years, the amount of MGIB education benefits increases from the current monthly rate of $546 to $650 effective January 1, 2002; $732 effective October 1, 2002; and $800 effective October 1, 2003. 

·     Increases the rates of Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (under Chapter 35 of 38 U.S.C.) from $608 to $670 for full-time, from $456 to $503 for three-quarter-time, and from $305 to $345 for half-time studies. 

·     Restores educational assistance entitlement to participants in VA-administered programs who have received benefits for courses that were interrupted by an active-duty call-up or, in the case of active-duty servicemen, were relocated and/or assigned duties that prevented them from completing their courses.  

In addition to other education benefit provisions, H.R. 1291 also: 

·     Repeals the 30-year presumptive period for respiratory cancers associated with exposure to herbicide agents. 

·     Adds Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2) to the list of diseases presumed to be service-connected for veterans exposed to herbicides.

·     Expands, effective March 1, 2002, eligibility for a presumption of service-connection to “qualifying chronic disabilities,” including “a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome), and any diagnosed illness that the Secretary determines through regulation warrants a presumption of service-connection).  Signs of symptoms that may be a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness or a chronic multisymptom illness are listed in the bill. 

·     Expands eligibility for low-income wartime veterans for nonservice-connected pension if they are patients in a nursing home for long-term care, determined to be disabled by the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), or unemployable due to disability that is reasonably certain to be permanent.   

·     Provides a service pension to low-income veterans aged 65 and older without regard to disability.   

·     Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide information concerning all benefits and services to which veterans, their dependents and survivors are entitled whenever a person first applies for benefits from the VA.  VA must supply such information within 3 months from the time it receives the application.   

·     Increases the maximum VA home loan guaranty amount from $50,750 to $60,000.   

·     Extends to December 31, 2005, VA’s direct home loan program for Native American veterans living on trust lands, eliminates the requirement for VA to have a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) with tribal authorities if another federal agency has an MOU which substantially complies with VA’s requirement, and extends the reporting period for the program.  

·     Increases the grant for specially adapted housing for severely disabled veterans from $43,000 to $48,000, and increase the amount for less severely disabled veterans from $8,250 to $9,250.   

·     Increases the burial and funeral expense benefit for a service-connected veteran from $1,500 to $2,000 effective September 11, 2001.  This will enable servicemembers who died in the terrorist attacks of that date and others who have lost their lives since then to qualify for the increased burial allowance.   Also increases the VA plot allowance from $150 to $300 effective December 1, 2001.   

·     Allows VA to provide an appropriate marker at government expense for veterans who die after the date of enactment and are buried in marked graves.  The authority expires in 2006.  The Secretary is directed to provide a report concerning the program and any recommendations for extension or repeal of the provision by February 1, 2006. 

·     Increases the automobile grant provided to severely service-disabled veterans from $8,000 to $9,000.   

H.R. 1291, the “Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001,” will now be considered by the Senate.  If H.R. 1291 is passed by the Senate as approved by the House, it will be sent to the White House to be signed into law by President Bush.

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