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<BillSummaries>
<item congress="113" measure-type="s" measure-number="735" measure-id="id113s735" originChamber="SENATE" orig-publish-date="2013-04-16" update-date="2014-03-21">
<title>Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2013</title>
<summary summary-id="id113s735v00" currentChamber="SENATE" update-date="2014-03-21">
<action-date>2013-04-16</action-date>
<action-desc>Introduced in Senate</action-desc>
<summary-text><![CDATA[<p>Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2013 - Allows dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) paid through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the surviving spouses of veterans to be increased for months occurring during the five-year (under current law, two-year) period beginning on the date of entitlement.</p> <p>Provides that the remarriage after age 55 of the surviving spouse of a veteran shall not bar the furnishing of VA DIC, health care, educational assistance, and housing loans.</p> <p>Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide, to any spina bifida-affected child of a veteran who served on active duty in Thailand beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, and was exposed to a herbicide agent during such service, the same health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance required to be paid to a similarly-affected child of a Vietnam veteran.</p> <p>Directs the Secretary to carry out a two-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing grief counseling services for the surviving spouses of veterans who die while serving on active duty.</p>]]></summary-text>
</summary>
</item>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
<dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
<dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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