[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 570 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 570


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2013

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual cost-of-
  living adjustments to be made automatically by law each year in the 
 rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected 
disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for 
survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, 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 ``American Heroes COLA Act''.

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

    (a) Indexing to Social Security Increases.--Section 5312 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) 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 dollar amounts in effect for 
the payment of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity 
compensation by the Secretary, as specified in paragraph (2), as such 
amounts were 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, but only if such percentage increase is calculated using the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners 
and Clerical Workers.
    ``(2) The dollar amounts to be increased pursuant to paragraph (1) 
are the following:
            ``(A) Wartime disability compensation.--Each of the dollar 
        amounts in effect under section 1114 of this title.
            ``(B) Additional compensation for dependents.--Each of the 
        dollar amounts in effect under section 1115(1) of this title.
            ``(C) Clothing allowance.--The dollar amount in effect 
        under section 1162 of this title.
            ``(D) Dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving 
        spouse.--Each of the dollar amounts in effect under subsections 
        (a) through (d) of section 1311 of such title.
            ``(E) Dependency and indemnity compensation to children.--
        Each of the dollar amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and 
        1314 of such title.
    ``(3) Whenever there is an increase under paragraph (1) in amounts 
in effect for the payment of disability compensation and dependency and 
indemnity compensation, the Secretary shall publish such amounts, as 
increased pursuant to such paragraph, in the Federal Register at the 
same time as the material required by section 215(i)(2)(D) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)(D)) is published by reason of 
a determination under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)).
    ``(4) During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this subsection and ending on September 30, 2018, each dollar amount 
increased under paragraph (1), if not a whole dollar amount, shall be 
rounded to the next lower whole dollar amount.
    ``(5) 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 this title.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (d) of section 5312 of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, shall 
take effect on December 1, 2014.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN RATE OF SPECIAL MONTHLY COMPENSATION FOR SEVERELY 
              INJURED VETERANS.

    (a) Increase.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1114(r) of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$2,002'' and 
                inserting ``$3,163''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``$2,983'' and 
                inserting ``$4,713''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
        shall take effect on December 1, 2014.
    (b) Temporary Rates.--During the period beginning on December 1, 
2014, and ending on September 30, 2018, section 1114(r) of title 38, 
United States Code, as amended by subsection (a), shall be applied--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by substituting ``$2,742'' for 
        ``$3,163''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by substituting ``$4085'' for 
        ``$4,713''.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2013.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.