[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2586 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2586

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of 
 veterans' burial benefit paid for plot allowances, and to provide for 
  the payment to States of plot allowances for veterans eligible for 
  burial in a national cemetery who are buried in cemeteries of such 
                                States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 1999

Ms. Brown of Florida (for herself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Filner, Mr. Shows and 
   Mr. Udall of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of 
 veterans' burial benefit paid for plot allowances, and to provide for 
  the payment to States of plot allowances for veterans eligible for 
  burial in a national cemetery who are buried in cemeteries of such 
                                States.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Burial Plot Allowance 
Improvement Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF PLOT ALLOWANCE BENEFIT; EXPANSION OF PLOT 
              ALLOWANCE BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY.

    (a) In General.--Section 2303(b) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b)(1) In addition to the benefits provided for under section 
2302 of this title and subsection (a), for a veteran who is not buried 
in a national cemetery or other cemetery under the jurisdiction of the 
United States, the Secretary shall pay a plot or interment allowance as 
follows:
            ``(A) In the case of a veteran who is eligible for burial 
        in a national cemetery under section 2402 of this title who is 
        buried (without charge for the cost of a plot or interment) in 
        a cemetery, or a section of a cemetery, that (i) is used solely 
        for the interment of persons eligible for burial in a national 
        cemetery, and (ii) is owned by a State or by an agency or 
        political subdivision of a State, the Secretary shall pay to 
        such State, agency, or political subdivision the sum of $300 as 
        a plot or interment allowance for such veteran.
            ``(B)(i) In the case of a veteran described in clause (ii) 
        who is buried in a cemetery, or a section of a cemetery, other 
        than as described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall pay 
        a sum not exceeding $300 as a plot or interment allowance to 
        such person as the Secretary prescribes, except that if any 
        part of the plot or interment costs of a burial to which this 
        subparagraph applies has been paid or assumed by a State, an 
        agency or political subdivision of a State, or a former 
        employer of the deceased veteran, no claim for such allowance 
        shall be allowed for more than the difference between the 
        entire amount of the expenses incurred and the amount paid or 
        assumed by any or all of the foregoing entities.
            ``(ii) A veteran referred to in clause (i) is a veteran 
        eligible for a burial allowance under section 2302 of this 
        title, or under subsection (a), who was discharged from the 
        active military, naval, or air service for a disability 
        incurred or aggravated in line of duty.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply with 
respect to individuals dying on or after such date.
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