[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1649 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1649

     To make retroactive the entitlement of certain Medal of Honor 
  recipients to the special pension provided for persons entered and 
 recorded on the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor 
                                 Roll.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 1997

Mrs. Chenoweth introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To make retroactive the entitlement of certain Medal of Honor 
  recipients to the special pension provided for persons entered and 
 recorded on the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor 
                                 Roll.

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

SECTION 1. RETROACTIVITY OF MEDAL OF HONOR SPECIAL PENSION.

    (a) Entitlement.--In the case of Vernon J. Baker, Edward A. Carter, 
Junior, and Charles L. Thomas, who were awarded the Medal of Honor 
pursuant to section 561 of Public Law 104-201 (110 Stat. 2529) and 
whose names have been entered and recorded on the Army, Navy, Air 
Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor Roll, the entitlement of those 
persons to the special pension provided under section 1562 of title 38, 
United States Code (and antecedent provisions of law), shall be 
effective as follows:
            (1) In the case of Vernon J. Baker, for months that begin 
        after April 1945.
            (2) In the case of Edward A. Carter, Junior, for months 
        that begin after March 1945.
            (3) In the case of Charles L. Thomas, for months that begin 
        after December 1944.
    (b) Amount.--The amount of the special pension payable under 
subsection (a) for a month beginning before the date of the enactment 
of this Act shall be the amount of the special pension provided by law 
for that month for persons entered and recorded on the Army, Navy, Air 
Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor Roll (or an antecedent Medal of 
Honor Roll required by law).
    (c) Payment to Next of Kin.--In the case of a person referred to in 
subsection (a) who died before receiving full payment of the pension 
pursuant to this section, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall pay 
the total amount of the accrued pension, upon receipt of application 
for payment within one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, to the deceased person's spouse or, if there is no surviving 
spouse, then to the deceased person's children, per stirpes, in equal 
shares.
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