[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 84 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4528-H4530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2006

  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4843) to increase, effective as of December 1, 2006, 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4843

       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 ``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.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall, effective on December 1, 2006, increase the dollar 
     amounts in effect for the payment of disability compensation 
     and dependency and indemnity compensation by the Secretary, 
     as specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Amounts To Be Increased.--The dollar amounts to be 
     increased pursuant to subsection (a) are the following:
       (1) Compensation.--Each of the dollar amounts in effect 
     under section 1114 of title 38, United States Code.
       (2) Additional compensation for dependents.--Each of the 
     dollar amounts in effect under section 1115(1) of such title.
       (3) Clothing allowance.--The dollar amount in effect under 
     section 1162 of such title.
       (4) New dic rates.--The dollar amounts in effect under 
     paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1311(a) of such title.
       (5) Old dic rates.--Each of the dollar amounts in effect 
     under section 1311(a)(3) of such title.
       (6) Additional dic for surviving spouses with minor 
     children.--The dollar amounts in effect under section 1311(b) 
     of such title and paragraph (1) of section 1311(f) of such 
     title (as redesignated by subsection (e) of this section).
       (7) Additional dic for disability.--The dollar amounts in 
     effect under sections 1311(c) and 1311(d) of such title.
       (8) DIC for dependent children.--The dollar amounts in 
     effect under sections 1313(a) and 1314 of such title.
       (c) Determination of Increase.--
       (1) Base for increase.--The increase under subsection (a) 
     shall be made in the dollar amounts specified in subsection 
     (b) as in effect on November 30, 2006.
       (2) Percentage of increase.--Except as provided in 
     paragraph (3), each such amount 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)).
       (3) Rounding.--Each dollar amount increased pursuant to 
     paragraph (2) shall, if not a whole dollar amount, be rounded 
     down to the next lower whole dollar amount.
       (d) Special Rule.--The Secretary may adjust 
     administratively, consistent with the increases made under 
     subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation payable 
     to persons within the purview of section 10 of Public Law 85-
     857 (72 Stat. 1263) who are not in receipt of compensation 
     payable pursuant to chapter 11 of title 38, United States 
     Code.
       (e) Designation Correction.--Section 1311 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by redesignating the second 
     subsection (e) (added by section 301(a) of the Veterans 
     Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-454; 118 
     Stat. 3610)) as subsection (f).

     SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF ADJUSTED RATES.

       At the same time as 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 2006, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     publish in the Federal Register the amounts specified in 
     subsection (b) of section 2, as increased pursuant to that 
     section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Buyer) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4843, as amended, is one of the more important 
bills the committee brings to the floor each year.
  On April 6 of this year, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance 
and Memorial Affairs, chaired by Mr. Miller of Florida, took testimony 
on H.R. 4843. The subcommittee then marked this bill on June 8 and 
reported the bill favorably to the full committee by unanimous voice 
vote. The full committee reported the bill, as amended, on June 22.
  H.R. 4843, as amended, would provide a cost-of-living adjustment, a 
COLA, to disabled veterans and certain survivors in the same amount 
given to Social Security recipients. All veterans who receive 
disability compensation and qualified survivors would receive the 
adjustment beginning December 1 of this year. Congress has acted on 
COLA legislation every fiscal year since 1976.
  More than 2.6 million veterans receive service-connected disability 
compensation. These benefits are paid monthly and range from $112 for a 
10 percent disability to $2,393 for a 100 percent disability. 
Additional monetary benefits are available for our most severely 
disabled veterans, as well as those with dependents.
  Spouses of veterans who died on active duty or as a result of a 
service-connected disability may also be entitled to monetary 
compensation. The amount of the dependency and indemnity compensation 
is $1,033.
  Additional amounts are paid to survivors who are housebound or in 
need of aid and attendants or have minor children. Currently, about 
340,000 surviving spouses and children are receiving survivors' 
benefits.
  The amendment to the bill by Ms. Berkley would also provide a COLA to 
the dependency and indemnity compensation transitional benefit. 
Established in Public Law 108-454, transitional DIC is a 2-year 
benefit; and it is intended to ease the family's transition following 
the death of a service member or veteran.
  The Congressional Budget Office is projecting a 2.2 percent COLA 
increase, but it may be higher or lower depending upon the changes in 
the Consumer Price Index. The exact percentage will be calculated as of 
September 30, 2006.
  The cost of providing a COLA is assumed in the administration's 
budget baseline; therefore, it will be budget neutral. Additionally, 
H.R. 5385, the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Bill of 2007 fully funds a veterans' 
COLA effective December 1, 2006.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.

[[Page H4529]]

  I would like to thank Chairman Buyer, Ranking Member Lane Evans, 
subcommittee Chairman Jeff Miller and our subcommittee Ranking Member, 
Ms. Berkley, for their work on this bill. In particular, I want to 
thank Ms. Berkley for her amendment, which was offered during our 
markup and which received unanimous bipartisan support.
  H.R. 4843, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act 
of 2006, will help our service-disabled veterans and their survivors 
maintain the purchasing power of their benefits in 2007. Ms. Berkley's 
amendment assures our Gold Star Wives with young children that the 
value of their benefit will not continue to erode as it did during this 
current year.
  Unfortunately, many do not fully recognize that the benefits we pay 
to men and women who have borne the battle, their widows, widowers, and 
children are a continuing cost of war. Indeed, the VA is currently 
paying benefits to survivors of Civil War veterans. We have a moral 
obligation to the men and women who put on the uniform and are harmed 
in the service of the Nation that we will compensate them for the harm 
which occurs. We have many examples where this is not being done, 
because, although costs increase, the benefit has remained static. The 
least we can do for the young families of our deceased veterans is to 
provide them the full value of the 2-year transitional benefit they 
receive.
  Although we will not know the exact percentage by which the benefit 
is to be increased until the Consumer Price Index is calculated in 
October, I expect this bill will help VA beneficiaries maintain the 
value of their benefits.

                              {time}  1430

  No amount of money can ever compensate our veterans for the loss of 
their health or the families for the loss of a loved one. Nonetheless, 
it is critical that the monetary value of these benefits, which 
partially compensate for such losses, is not reduced merely by the 
passage of time.
  In 2004, over 28,000 veterans in New Mexico received disability 
compensation or pension payments from the VA. Many New Mexico family 
members of veterans and their survivors also receive VA cash benefits. 
The action we are taking here today will help the veterans in my 
congressional district who depend on these VA benefits.
  H.R. 4843, as amended, will receive my full support; and it deserves 
the support of all Members of the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown), a member of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee who has been a fighter for our Nation's veterans.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support 
this bill to increase the veterans compensation, or COLA. It is 
important to pass this legislation to support those who have put their 
lives on the line to protect the freedom this country holds so dear.
  This money is very important to veterans living on fixed incomes and 
very little outside support. The COLA increase is tied to the Social 
Security COLA, which could change depending on the Consumer Price 
Index.
  While many of the beneficiaries of the increase are veterans of past 
wars, the disabled from the current war, Operation Enduring Freedom and 
Operation Iraqi Freedom, will benefit also.
  Those injured in the current war are surviving once fatal injuries at 
greater numbers than anytime in the past. The rates of disability 
compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation affected by the 
COLA will help those recovering to have a better quality of life and 
help them to become contributing members of society.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend 
my remarks and that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to 
revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 
4843, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I would also like the Members to note that 
last year when we came to the floor, we thought that the COLA was going 
to be about 2.7 percent. Once they did the adjustment on the CPI, it 
ended up being about 4.1 percent. I don't know what it is going to be 
this year. That was a huge change. Even though we are saying 
approximately 2.2, I don't know what it is going to be.
  I would like to thank Lane Evans and Bob Filner for their work. I 
would also like to thank Mr. Miller and Ms. Berkley. I would like to 
thank Mr. Udall and Ms. Brown. Also, I thank them in appreciation for 
the timely fashion in which they moved this bill through the committee 
and now onto the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Veterans' 
Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
4843, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006.
  This is a good bipartisan bill.
  It will help to ensure that the real value of the benefits earned by 
our veterans does not decrease as prices rise.
  These benefits are critical for many veterans and their families to 
help make ends meet.
  Veterans and their families need to know that the purchasing power of 
their earned benefits will not decrease over time.
  This legislation also includes a provision similar to my bill, H.R. 
1573.
  Last Congress, in response to a VA evaluation, we passed legislation 
to provide an increase of $250 to the monthly DIC, Dependency and 
Indemnity Compensation, benefit for surviving spouses with children 
under 18 for the first 2 years of eligibility.
  While I believe that we should make this benefit permanent, 
especially in light of the brave men and women giving their lives in 
Iraq and Afghanistan; the provision in today's bill is extremely 
important and will ensure that this benefit maintains its value over 
time.
  I want to thank Ms. Berkley for her amendment in Committee to include 
this provision.
  This is a good bill that will help veterans and their families across 
the country and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  I hope that this is the first of many bills that we will now move 
forward to improve the benefits and quality of care provided to our 
veterans and their families.
  I congratulate Chairman Miller of Florida for introducing this 
important bill, and I thank full committee Chairman Steve Buyer and 
full committee Ranking Member Lane Evans for moving this legislation 
forward.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
4843, as amended, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment 
Act of 2006.
  On March 2, 2006, as Chairman on the Subcommittee on Disability 
Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I introduced H.R. 4843 with Shelley 
Berkley, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, and Steve Buyer and Lane 
Evans, Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs. On June 22, 2006, the full Committee adopted an 
amendment offered by Ms. Berkley to provide the annual adjustment to a 
two year transitional benefit offered under the dependency and 
indemnity compensation program.
  Each year since 1976, Congress has provided a cost-of-living 
adjustment (COLA) to the benefits provided to our Nation's disabled 
veterans and their survivors. The purpose of the annual COLA is to 
ensure that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) cash benefits retain 
their purchasing power and are not eroded by inflation.
  The Committee is following its longstanding practice of setting the 
COLA by reference to the yet-to-be-determined Social Security increase. 
In February 2006, the Administration projected a 2.6 percent increase; 
as of May 2006, the Congressional Budget Office is projecting the COLA 
to be 2.2 percent. However, it may be higher or lower depending on 
changes in the Consumer Price Index. The exact percentage will be 
calculated as of September 30, 2006, and the COLA will go into effect 
on December 1, 2006.
  As Chairman Buyer indicated, this is one of the more important pieces 
of legislation the Veterans' Affairs Committee brings to the floor each 
year, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. BUYER. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4843, as amended.

[[Page H4530]]

  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

                          ____________________