[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4785 Introduced in House (IH)]







                                    


106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. ____




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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES



  Mrs. Kelly introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on ______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to revise the provisions of law 
   relating to the payment of accrued benefits by the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs in the case of the death of a veteran with a pending 
     claim for an increase in service-connected disability rating.

    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 ``Michael Colombo Veterans' Claims 
Correction Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS OF ACCRUED BENEFITS UPON DEATH OF VETERAN 
              WITH PENDING CLAIM FOR INCREASE IN DISABILITY RATING.

    (a) Eligible Recipients.--Section 5121 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) For purposes of subsection (a)(2), the term `children' shall 
be applied without regard to age or dependency in the case of a veteran 
who dies with a claim for increased compensation (or for an increased 
disability rating) pending at the time of death that is granted after 
the veteran's death based on evidence in the file at the date of the 
veteran's death.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply in the case of veterans dying on or after [May 1, 1998]. No 
amount may be paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs by reason of 
that amendment before October 1, 2000.