[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4935 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4935

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the size of the 
estate an incompetent veteran being furnished institutional care by the 
   Department of Veterans Affairs may have without being subject to 
                        suspension of benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 24, 2000

Mr. Minge (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Filner, 
 Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Oberstar, and Mr. Holden) 
 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 size of the 
estate an incompetent veteran being furnished institutional care by the 
   Department of Veterans Affairs may have without being subject to 
                        suspension of benefits.

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

SECTION 1. INCREASE IN ESTATE SIZE FOR INCOMPETENT INSTITUTIONALIZED 
              VETERANS BEFORE SUSPENSION OF BENEFITS.

    (a) Increase in Estate Size.--Section 5503(b)(1)(A) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``$1,500'' and inserting ``the amount of 
        $6,000 (as increased from time to time under section 5312 of 
        this title)''; and
            (2) by striking ``$500'' and inserting ``such amount''.
    (b) Indexing Estate Size Amount.--Section 5312 of such title is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
        subsection (c):
    ``(c) Whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable 
under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a 
result of a determination made under section 215(i) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 415(i)), the Secretary shall, effective on the date of such 
increase in benefit amounts, increase the estate size limitation under 
section 5503(b)(1)(A) of this title, as that limitation was in effect 
immediately before the date of such increase in benefit amounts payable 
under title II of the Social Security Act, by the same percentage as 
the percentage by which such benefit amounts are increased.''; and
    (3) in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (1)--
            (A) in paragraph (1)--
                    (i) by striking ``and an increase'' and inserting 
                ``, an increase''; and
                    (ii) by inserting ``, and an increase under 
                subsection (c) in the estate size limitation under 
                section 5503(b)(1)(A) of this title,'' after ``section 
                1315 of this title''; and
            (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and estate size'' 
        after ``income'' both places it appears.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect with respect to benefit payments for months beginning on or 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. The amendments made by 
subsection (b) shall take effect on January 1, 2001.
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