[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2142 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2142

To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend eligibility to receive 
 dependency and indemnity compensation to veterans' surviving spouses 
              whose subsequent marriages have terminated.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 1997

 Mr. McNulty introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend eligibility to receive 
 dependency and indemnity compensation to veterans' surviving spouses 
              whose subsequent marriages have terminated.

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

SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY 
              COMPENSATION TO SURVIVING SPOUSES WHOSE SUBSEQUENT 
              MARRIAGES HAVE TERMINATED.

    (a) In General.--Section 1311 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e)(1) The remarriage of the surviving spouse of a veteran shall 
not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation to such 
person as the surviving spouse of the veteran if the remarriage is 
terminated by death or divorce, unless the Secretary determines that 
the death or divorce was secured through fraud by the surviving spouse 
or collusion.
    ``(2) If the surviving spouse of a veteran ceases living with 
another person and holding himself or herself out openly to the public 
as that person's spouse, section 101(3) shall not bar eligibility of 
that person to receive dependency and indemnity compensation.''
    (b) Effective Date.--No payment may be made pursuant to the 
amendment made by subsection (a) for any month beginning before October 
1, 1997.
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