[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3443 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3443

 To amend titles 38 and 37, United States Code, to expand eligibility 
 for certain caregiver services provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs, and to modify the Department of Defense special compensation 
program to make eligible members of the uniformed services with serious 
injuries or illnesses and to exempt payments of such compensation from 
                   taxation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2013

Ms. Titus (for herself, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Honda, Ms. Sinema, 
  Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Delaney, and Ms. Shea-Porter) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 
   and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means and Veterans' 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend titles 38 and 37, United States Code, to expand eligibility 
 for certain caregiver services provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs, and to modify the Department of Defense special compensation 
program to make eligible members of the uniformed services with serious 
injuries or illnesses and to exempt payments of such compensation from 
                   taxation, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Streamlining Support for Veterans 
and Military Caregivers Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN CAREGIVER SERVICES 
              PROVIDED BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1720G of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``family caregiver'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``caregiver'';
            (2) by striking ``family caregivers'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``caregivers'';
            (3) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                ``Family''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``or 
                illness'' after ``injury''; and
            (4) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (2).
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1782(c)(2) of such title is 
amended by striking ``family caregiver'' and inserting ``caregiver''.

SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SPECIAL COMPENSATION TO 
              MAKE ELIGIBLE MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES WITH 
              SERIOUS INJURIES AND ILLNESS AND PROVIDE FOR TAX 
              EXEMPTION OF PAYMENTS.

    (a) Eligibility.--
            (1) In general.--Section 439 of title 37, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(1), by striking 
                ``catastrophic'' and inserting ``serious''; and
                    (B) in subsection (g)--
                            (i) by striking ``catastrophic'' and 
                        inserting ``serious''; and
                            (ii) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                        ``Catastrophic'' and inserting ``Serious''.
            (2) Clerical amendments.--
                    (A) Section heading.--The section heading of such 
                section is amended by striking ``catastrophic'' and 
                inserting ``serious''.
                    (B) Table of sections.--The table of sections at 
                the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amended by 
                striking the item relating to section 439 and inserting 
                the following:

``439. Special compensation: members of the uniformed services with 
                            serious injuries or illnesses requiring 
                            assistance in everyday living.''.
    (b) Tax Exempt Status of Payments.--Subsection (a) of such section 
is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``Payments 
of compensation under this section shall be exempt from taxation.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to payments of special compensation made after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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