[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 130 (Thursday, September 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5570-S5571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2014

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2258 and the 
Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2258) to provide for an increase, effective 
     December 1, 2014, in 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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, today, as chairman of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, I applaud my colleagues for their support and Senate 
passage of S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living 
Adjustment Act of 2014.
  All of my colleagues on the committee, including Ranking Member Burr 
and Senators Rockefeller, Murray, Brown, Tester, Blumenthal, Hirono, 
Isakson, Johanns, Moran, Boozman, and Heller, joined me in supporting 
this important legislation, introduced by Senator Begich. I look 
forward to continuing our bipartisan efforts to improve the lives of 
our Nation's veterans.
  This important measure directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
increase the rates of veterans' compensation to keep pace with the 
increasing cost-of-living in this country. The rate adjustment is equal 
to that provided on an annual basis to Social Security recipients and 
is based on the Consumer Price Index. Last year's cost-of-living 
adjustment of 1.5 percent affected so many important benefits, 
including veterans' disability compensation and dependency and 
indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. VA has 
projected that more than 4.5

[[Page S5571]]

million veterans and survivors will receive these benefits in fiscal 
year 2015.
  I have been chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee for 
nearly 2 years, but during that period I have learned several very 
important lessons. First and foremost, the cost of war is much greater 
than most Americans realize, and the cost of war does not end when the 
last shots are fired or the last missiles are launched. The cost of war 
continues until the last veteran receives all of the care and all of 
the benefits that he or she has earned. With this in mind, for those 
who claim that taking care of veterans is too expensive, if you are not 
prepared to properly provide the health care and other benefits that 
veterans have earned, then do not send them to war in the first place. 
Taking care of veterans is a cost of war.
  As part of Congress's important responsibility of ensuring veterans 
and survivors receive all of the benefits to which they are entitled, 
we take steps to prevent these benefits from being diminished by the 
effects of inflation. Over the last several years there has been a lot 
of discussion about so-called entitlement reform. When people talk 
about entitlement reform what they really mean, in English, is cutting 
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The cuts to Social Security 
benefits were going to come in the form of a so-called chained CPI, 
which would have meant significant cuts in the cost-of-living 
adjustments that seniors received, that people with disabilities 
received, and, if you can believe it, that disabled veterans received.
  The bottom line is that at a time when the wealthiest people in this 
country and the largest corporations are doing phenomenally well and 
enjoy many, many tax breaks, we should not balance the budget on the 
backs of some of the most vulnerable people in this country--including 
disabled veterans. I will continue to strongly oppose any proposal to 
adopt the chained CPI. Moving to a chained CPI would cut the benefits 
of more than 4 million disabled veterans and surviving spouses.
  Congress's responsibility to ensure veterans and survivors receive 
all of the benefits to which they are entitled also requires that we 
ensure they receive their complete cost-of-living adjustment. For a 
number of years, VA rounded down cost-of-living adjustments. The 
negative impacts of the round-down were just one of the issues that 
were brought to my attention by the veterans service organizations. I 
am proud to say that passage of last year's cost-of-living adjustment 
ended this practice. This year's bill, sponsored by Senator Begich, 
would continue to ensure veterans receive the full adjustment to which 
they are entitled. To some, this is mere pennies, but I know these 
small amounts of money add up over time and make a significant 
contribution to the financial stability of millions of veterans and 
their survivors.
  We have an obligation to ensure the benefits we provide veterans and 
their survivors do not erode over time. As the debate over spending and 
the national debt continues, we cannot forget the debt we owe to 
veterans and their families--after sacrificing for our well-being, the 
least we can do is ensure theirs. I commend the Senate's passage of S. 
2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014. 
It is another important step as we continue to work to honor our 
obligation to America's veterans and their surviving family members.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time 
and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 2258) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 2258

       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 2014''.

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

       (a) Rate Adjustment.--Effective on December 1, 2014, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase, in accordance 
     with subsection (c), the dollar amounts in effect on November 
     30, 2014, 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.--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, 2014, as a result 
     of a determination under section 215(i) of such Act (42 
     U.S.C. 415(i)).
       (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.
       (e) Publication of Adjusted Rates.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall publish in the Federal Register the 
     amounts specified in subsection (b), as increased under 
     subsection (a), 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 2015.

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