[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 101 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H4663-H4664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2012

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4114) to increase, effective as of December 1, 
2012, 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, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4114

       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 2012''.

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

       (a) Rate Adjustment.--Effective on December 1, 2012, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase, in accordance 
     with subsection (c), the dollar amounts in effect on November 
     30, 2012, 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 section 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, 2012, 
     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 2013.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  As chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I rise in 
support of H.R. 4114, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living 
Adjustment Act of 2012.
  This critically important piece of legislation authorizes a cost-of-
living increase for disabled veterans in receipt of disability 
compensation payments from VA, veterans clothing allowance payments, 
and other compensation for survivors of veterans who die as a result of 
their service to this country. The amount of the increase will be 
determined by the Consumer Price Index, which also controls the cost-
of-living adjustment for Social Security beneficiaries.
  I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan), the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial 
Affairs, for introducing this important piece of legislation and for 
working with me and the ranking member to move it forward.
  I want to urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 4114, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I wholeheartedly support the Veterans' Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act 
of 2012, H.R. 4114. While this committee does not control the amount of 
the COLA, it is critical that we pass the bill so that it can be put in 
place when the Social Security COLA is enacted. It is so important that 
the payments that our veterans, their families, and survivors receive 
keep pace with inflation and better enable them to put food on the 
table and a roof over their heads.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that last year's veterans COLA increase was 
3.6 percent for 2012 and that we can likely expect an increase for 
2013. The exact figure will be tied directly to the Social Security 
COLA, whose beneficiaries will also see the same increase in their 
payments.
  As it has since 1976, Congress, through the passage of the Veterans' 
Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, directs the Secretary of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs to increase the rates of basic compensation for 
disabled veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity 
compensation to their survivors and dependents. This bill will benefit 
disabled veterans, their families, and their survivors from the World 
War I era through the current conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Many of the over 3.5 million veterans who receive disability 
compensation benefits depend on these payments not only to provide for 
their basic needs, but for those of their spouses, children, and 
parents as well. Without an annual COLA increase, these veterans, their 
families, and survivors will likely see the value of their hard-earned 
benefits slowly eroding.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we would be derelict in our duties if we fail to 
guarantee that those who sacrifice so much for this country are able to 
receive benefits and service that keep pace with their needs and 
inflation.

                              {time}  1620

  We fund the wars; let's fund the warriors. Let me repeat: we fund the 
wars; let's fund the warriors.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-
Living Adjustment Act of 2012, H.R. 4114, without delay.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield as much time 
as he might consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan), the 
subcommittee chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and 
Memorial Affairs, not only the author of this particular piece of 
legislation, but since coming to this Congress, he has become one of 
the most ardent supporters of our veterans.
  Mr. RUNYAN. Chairman Miller, thank you for those kind words, and 
thank you for your support in helping me move this piece of legislation 
forward.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4114, the Veterans' Compensation 
Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012.
  H.R. 4114, which I introduced in February, puts veterans on equal 
footing with Social Security beneficiaries by increasing the amount 
provided to several kinds of compensation by the amount of the Social 
Security cost-of-living adjustment. These include disabled veterans 
compensation, veterans' clothing allowance, and the DIC for veterans' 
survivors.
  This annual and noncontroversial bill, which has been scored by CBO 
as having no budgetary impact, is a critical part of ensuring that 
benefits for disabled veterans and their families are sufficient to 
meet their needs.
  I am proud that the first bill I introduced in Congress last year was 
the veterans' COLA bill, which gave the first cost-of-living adjustment 
to our

[[Page H4664]]

veterans that they had received in several years. I am equally proud 
that we are doing right by our veterans by moving the COLA bill 
increase this year in the form of H.R. 4114.
  I urge all Members to support this critical piece of legislation.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, last month we were honored with 
the presence of over 400 Montford Point Marines in the Capitol to 
receive the Congressional Gold Medal. From 1942 to 1949, almost 20,000 
African American Marines experienced basic training at Camp Montford 
Point near the New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
  These heroes fought on two fronts, at home against discrimination, 
and across the sea to defend our Nation. This highest civilian award in 
the United States was first presented during the Revolutionary War to 
George Washington. It is fitting that this latest award should go to 
those men who, years before Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks, joined the 
Marines to defend their country.
  During this week when we are going to be debating the Affordable Care 
Act, we need to discuss a project that affects veterans health in my 
State of Florida. On July 1, the VA paid an additional $500,000 to rent 
a portable operating room for a project that is 95 percent complete in 
the Miami VA Medical Center. When this renovation was first proposed, 
two minor projects, each costing $10 million, were sponsored to fulfill 
the requirements of the project.
  I visited the medical center last month and heard directly from the 
administrators of the facility about the project. The planners on the 
ground soon realized that patients could have been put at risk due to 
contamination of the operating rooms by the construction on the other 
side of the room.
  Veterans health care was being put at risk, and rather than let this 
happen, it was decided by those who know the veterans health the best--
those at the health facilities--to combine the projects into one and 
rent the portable operating rooms.
  We need a procedure to give the Secretary the ability to correct 
these kinds of projects and not waste taxpayers' money. I will soon be 
introducing legislation to give the Secretary the help he needs to save 
taxpayers money.
  In the last Congress, our Democratic leadership in the House and the 
Senate, with President Barack Obama, we were able to pass the largest 
increase in the veterans budget in history. We also passed advanced 
appropriations for the VA health care so that veterans would not be 
subject to the deadline that Congress seems to miss every year to pass 
a proper budget. It allows the VA to plan for the following year's 
health care needs and reassure veterans that they will be able to get 
the care that they need.
  We also passed the caregivers law to help those who are taking care 
of the members of the military, funded PTSD and TBI mental health 
programs, homeless programs and rural health care in the veterans 
homes. It is the least we can do for those who have given so much to 
protect our freedom. We did not just talk the talk but walked the walk.
  And since we're discussing repeal of the health care law tomorrow, I 
would like to briefly discuss how, in fact, the Affordable Care Act 
benefits our Nation's veterans and all Americans. Although not a 
perfect bill--and no bill is since there are many compromises made--
this is a perfect start, and attempting to obtain universal health care 
has been a primary goal of every single President and Congress since 
the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had fought for quality, 
accessible health care insurance reform for all Americans. And now, 75 
years later, after the Supreme Court ruling just over a week ago, our 
Nation has finally attained that goal.
  Millions of Americans have already come to rely on the wide-ranging 
and lifesaving benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
  And let me just say, I keep hearing ObamaCare. Let me just be clear. 
Obama cares for the American health care.
  Before Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, nearly one in five 
citizens in the wealthiest country in the world had little or no hope 
of affordable insurance and access to regular health care. When fully 
implemented, the Affordable Care Act will cover an additional 30 
million Americans and 3.8 million African Americans who otherwise would 
remain uninsured.
  Already under the Affordable Health Care Act, 17 million children 
with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage; 105 
million Americans no longer have a lifetime limit on their coverage; 
32.5 million seniors received free preventive service in 2011; 54 
million Americans in private plans have received free preventive 
services; 6.6 million young adults up to the age of 26 have obtained 
insurance through their parents' plan; and 5.2 million seniors and 
disabled people save an average of $704 each on their prescription 
drugs; 360,000 small businesses received tax credits to help them 
afford coverage for 2 million workers; 13 million families will receive 
insurance premium rebates averaging $151 in 2012.
  However, instead of debating a health care repeal, we should be 
debating a construction reauthorization bill to deal with the waste of 
taxpayer dollars, like I indicated in Miami--$500,000 this month for a 
portable operating room.
  In closing, let's get to work.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I think it's rather interesting 
that my colleague would talk about the supposed great things that are 
in the ObamaCare bill and not talk about how it's going to be paid 
for--in fact, the largest tax increase on the American people that this 
Congress has ever placed on their backs.
  They would make you believe that it was all free, but it's not. It's 
going to cost somebody, and that's going to be the American citizens.

                              {time}  1630

  I also want to talk about the Miami project very quickly. I had to go 
down and actually visit and then pressure the VA Secretary to make sure 
that the director of the Miami Medical Center left her job because she 
was not doing what she was supposed to do. In fact, this was, in a way, 
a skirting of the rules and of the laws by splitting a project into 
two, thus costing the taxpayers of the United States considerably more 
money, including the cost of the rental of the trailers that are being 
used as temporary operating rooms.
  We continue to wait for the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
actually make an official request for us to come forward and take care 
of this problem that exists in Miami, specifically because of, I think, 
poor administrative oversight not only at the administrative level in 
Miami but with the VISN Director in VISN 8 as well.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include any extraneous materials that they may 
have on H.R. 4114.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Senate itself hasn't been 
able to pass a budget for almost 4 years, and they cannot pass an 
appropriations bill on time, so I do support the advanced appropriation 
that this House supported and that ultimately was signed into law. With 
that, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 4114.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4114.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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