[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3087 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3087

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide that veterans who are 
 65 years of age or older shall be eligible for pension benefits under 
 laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs without regard 
                             to disability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 11, 2001

Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Reyes, and Ms. Brown of Florida) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide that veterans who are 
 65 years of age or older shall be eligible for pension benefits under 
 laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs without regard 
                             to disability.

    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' Pension Improvement Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF VETERANS 65 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER FOR VETERANS' 
              PENSION BENEFITS.

    (a) In General.--(1) Subchapter II of chapter 15 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1512 the 
following new section:
``Sec. 1513. Veterans 65 years of age and older
    ``(a) The Secretary shall pay to each veteran of a period of war 
who is 65 years of age or older and who meets the service requirements 
of section 1521 of this title (as prescribed in subsection (j) of that 
section) pension at the rates prescribed by 1521 of this title and 
under the conditions (other than the permanent and total disability 
requirement) applicable to pension paid under that section.
    ``(b) If a veteran is eligible for pension under both this section 
and section 1521 of this title, pension shall be paid to the veteran 
only under section 1521 of this title.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1512 the 
following new item:

``1513. Veterans 65 years of age and older.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 1521(f)(1) of such title is 
amended by inserting ``or the age and service requirements prescribed 
in section 1513 of this title,'' after ``or this section,''.
    (2) Section 1522(a) of such title is amended by inserting ``1513 
or'' after ``under section''.
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