[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2562 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]


        S.2562

                       One Hundred Ninth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
             the third day of January, two thousand and six


                                 An Act


 
To increase, effective as of December 1, 2006, the rates of compensation 
   for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of 
   dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain 
                           disabled veterans.

    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' Compensation Cost-of-
Living Adjustment Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSATION AND DEPENDENCY AND 
              INDEMNITY COMPENSATION.

    (a) Rate Adjustment.--Effective on December 1, 2006, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall increase, in accordance with subsection (c), 
the dollar amounts in effect on November 30, 2006, for the payment of 
disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation under 
the provisions specified in subsection (b).
    (b) Amounts To Be Increased.--The dollar amounts to be increased 
pursuant to subsection (a) are the following:
        (1) Wartime disability compensation.--Each of the dollar 
    amounts under section 1114 of title 38, United States Code.
        (2) Additional compensation for dependents.--Each of the dollar 
    amounts under sections 1115(1) of such title.
        (3) Clothing allowance.--The dollar amount under section 1162 
    of such title.
        (4) Dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving 
    spouse.--Each of the dollar amounts under subsections (a) through 
    (d) of section 1311 of such title.
        (5) Dependency and indemnity compensation to children.--Each of 
    the dollar amounts under sections 1313(a) and 1314 of such title.
    (c) Determination of Increase.--
        (1) Percentage.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), each 
    dollar amount described in subsection (b) shall be increased by the 
    same percentage as the percentage by which benefit amounts payable 
    under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) 
    are increased effective December 1, 2006, as a result of a 
    determination under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)).
        (2) Rounding.--Each dollar amount increased under paragraph 
    (1), if not a whole dollar amount, shall be rounded to the next 
    lower whole dollar amount.
    (d) Special Rule.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may adjust 
administratively, consistent with the increases made under subsection 
(a), the rates of disability compensation payable to persons under 
section 10 of Public Law 85-857 (72 Stat. 1263) who have not received 
compensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code.

SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF ADJUSTED RATES.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish in the Federal 
Register the amounts specified in section 2(b), as increased under that 
section, not later than the date on which the matters specified in 
section 215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
415(i)(2)(D)) are required to be published by reason of a determination 
made under section 215(i) of such Act during fiscal year 2007.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.

    Section 1311 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
redesignating the second subsection (e) (as added by section 301(a) of 
the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-454; 118 
Stat. 3610)) as subsection (f).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.