[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3340 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3340

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a cost-of-living 
 adjustment in the rates of disability compensation for veterans with 
    service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and 
 indemnity compensation for survivors of such veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 1993

 Mr. Slattery (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Stump, 
 Mr. Applegate, Mr. Everett, Mr. Evans, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Sangmeister, 
Mr. King, Mr. Edwards of Texas, Mr. Tejeda, and Mr. Spence) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a cost-of-living 
 adjustment in the rates of disability compensation for veterans with 
    service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and 
 indemnity compensation for survivors of such veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Benefits 
Amendments of 1993''.
    (b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever 
in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference 
shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 
38, United States Code.

              TITLE I--COMPENSATION AND DIC RATE INCREASES

SEC. 101. DISABILITY COMPENSATION.

    Section 1114 is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``$85'' in subsection (a) and inserting 
        in lieu thereof ``$87'';
            (2) by striking out ``$162'' in subsection (b) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$166'';
            (3) by striking out ``$247'' in subsection (c) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$253'';
            (4) by striking out ``$352'' in subsection (d) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$361'';
            (5) by striking out ``$502'' in subsection (e) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$515'';
            (6) by striking out ``$632'' in subsection (f) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$639'';
            (7) by striking out ``$799'' in subsection (g) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$819'';
            (8) by striking out ``$924'' in subsection (h) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$948'';
            (9) by striking out ``$1,040'' in subsection (i) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$1,067'';
            (10) by striking out ``$1,730'' in subsection (j) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$1,774'';
            (11) by striking out ``$2,152'' and ``$3,015'' in 
        subsection (k) and inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,207'' and 
        ``$3,093'', respectively;
            (12) by striking out ``$2,152'' in subsection (l) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,207'';
            (13) by striking out ``$2,371'' in subsection (m) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,432'';
            (14) by striking out ``$2,698'' in subsection (n) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,768'';
            (15) by striking out ``$3,015'' each place it appears in 
        subsections (o) and (p) and inserting in lieu thereof 
        ``$3,093'';
            (16) by striking out ``$1,295'' and ``$1,928'' in 
        subsection (r) and inserting in lieu thereof ``$1,328'' and 
        ``$1,978'', respectively; and
            (17) by striking out ``$1,935'' in subsection (s) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$1,985''.

SEC. 102. ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DEPENDENTS.

    Section 1115(1) is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``$103'' in clause (A) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$105'';
            (2) by striking out ``$174'' and ``$54'' in clause (B) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$178'' and ``$55'', respectively;
            (3) by striking out ``$71'' and ``$54'' in clause (C) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$72'' and ``$55'', respectively;
            (4) by striking out ``$82'' in clause (D) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$84'';
            (5) by striking out ``$191'' in clause (E) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$195''; and
            (6) by striking out ``$160'' in clause (F) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$164''.

SEC. 103. CLOTHING ALLOWANCE FOR CERTAIN DISABLED VETERANS.

    Section 1162 is amended by striking out ``$466'' and inserting in 
lieu thereof ``$478''.

SEC. 104. DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES.

    Section 1311 is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking out ``$750'' and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$769'';
            (2) in subsection (a)(2), by striking out ``$165'' and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$169'';
            (3) in subsection (a)(3), by striking out the table therein 
        and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

      

                            Monthly                              Monthly
``Pay grade                    rate  Pay grade                      rate
E-7...................         $794  O-3...................         $897
E-8...................          838  O-4...................          948
E-9...................       \1\875  O-5...................        1,044
W-1...................          812  O-6...................        1,177
W-2...................          844  O-7...................        1,271
W-3...................          869  O-8...................        1,392
W-4...................          920  O-9...................        1,492
O-1...................          812  O-10..................     \2\1,636
O-2...................          838                                     
                                                                        

    ``\1\If the veteran served as sergeant major of the Army, senior 
enlisted advisor of the Navy, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, 
sergeant major of the Marine Corps, or master chief petty officer of 
the Coast Guard, at the applicable time designated by section 402 of 
this title, the surviving spouse's rate shall be $943.
    ``\2\If the veteran served as Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Naval 
Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Commandant of the Marine 
Corps, or Commandant of the Coast Guard, at the applicable time 
designated by section 402 of this title, the surviving spouse's rate 
shall be $1,743.'';

            (4) in subsection (c), by striking out ``$191'' and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$195''; and
            (5) in subsection (d), by striking out ``$93'' and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$95''.

SEC. 105. DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION FOR CHILDREN.

    (a) DIC for Orphan Children.--Section 1313(a) is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``$319'' in clause (1) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$327'';
            (2) by striking out ``$460'' in clause (2) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$471'';
            (3) by striking out ``$595'' in clause (3) and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``$610''; and
            (4) by striking out ``$595'' and ``$117'' in clause (4) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$610'' and ``$120'', respectively.
    (b) Supplemental DIC for Disabled Adult Children.--Section 1314 is 
amended--
            (1) by striking out ``$191'' in subsection (a) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$195'';
            (2) by striking out ``$319'' in subsection (b) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$327''; and
            (3) by striking out ``$162'' in subsection (c) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``$166''.

SEC. 106. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this title shall take effect on December 1, 
1993.

          TITLE II--BENEFITS FOR UNREMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES

SEC. 201. SPECIAL DEATH GRATUITY FOR UNREMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 13 is amended by adding at the end of 
subchapter II the following new section:
``Sec. 1319. Special death gratuity
    ``In any case in which benefits under this chapter have been 
terminated or denied as the result of a marriage by a surviving spouse 
and in which such marriage has subsequently been terminated by death or 
divorce, a special monthly death gratuity shall be payable to an 
unremarried surviving spouse in an amount equal to the amount payable 
under section 1311(a)(1) of this title, subject to a reduction of $1 
for each $1 of income countable under section 1315(f)(1) of this 
title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1318 the following new item:

``1319. Special death gratuity.''.

SEC. 202. RESTORATION OF PENSION ELIGIBILITY FOR UNREMARRIED SPOUSES.

    Section 1501 is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(5) The term `surviving spouse' includes the spouse of a deceased 
veteran whose eligibility for benefits under this chapter as a 
surviving spouse was terminated or denied by reason of a subsequent 
remarriage if such subsequent remarriage is terminated by death or 
divorce.''.

SEC. 203. RESTORATION OF BURIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR UNREMARRIED SPOUSES.

    Section 2402(5) is amended by inserting ``(which for purposes of 
this chapter includes an unremarried surviving spouse who had a 
subsequent remarriage which was terminated by death or divorce)'' after 
``surviving spouse''.

SEC. 204. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the amendments made by 
sections 201 and 202 shall take effect on December 1, 1994.
    (b) Contingency.--The amendments made by sections 201 and 202 shall 
not take effect if there has not been enacted as of December 1, 1994, a 
law providing a cost-of-living adjustment in the rates of compensation 
payable under chapter 11 or dependency and indemnity compensation 
payable under chapter 13 of title 38, United States Code, for fiscal 
year 1995.

                   TITLE III--COST SAVINGS PROVISION

SEC. 301. POLICY REGARDING COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT IN COMPENSATION 
              RATES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995.

    The fiscal year 1995 cost-of-living adjustments in the rates of and 
limitations for compensation payable under chapter 11 of title 38, 
United States Code, and of dependency and indemnity compensation 
payable under chapter 13 of such title will be no more than a 
percentage equal to the percentage by which benefit amounts payable 
under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) are 
increased effective December 1, 1994, as a result of a determination 
under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)), with all increased 
monthly rates and limitations (other than increased rates or 
limitations equal to a whole dollar amount) rounded down to the next 
lower dollar.

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