[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4042-H4043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2019

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1200) to increase, effective as of December 1, 2019, 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. 1200

       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 2019''.

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

       (a) Rate Adjustment.--Effective on December 1, 2019, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase, in accordance 
     with subsection (c), the dollar amounts in effect on November 
     30, 2019, 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, 2019, 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.

     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 2020.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (David P. Roe) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 1200.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1200, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living 
Adjustment Act of 2019 would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to increase the rates of disability compensation for service-connected 
veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for 
survivors of veterans, effective December 1, 2019.
  Now, this bill would also increase these rates by the same percentage 
as the percentage by which Social Security benefits are increased 
effective December 1, 2019, and require that VA publish the increased 
rates in the Federal Register.
  To me, the actual cost-of-living adjustment to veterans' benefits, 
otherwise known as COLA, is much more than a rate adjustment tied to 
inflation. In reality, it is a quality-of-life guarantee in retirement 
years, especially for veterans suffering with service-connected 
disabilities and ailments.
  It also comes with the assurance for veterans that their survivors 
will not see a steady decline in benefits if the economy changes and 
costs rise after they are gone. This guarantee is a great source of 
comfort for veterans as they age. I know this because they tell me this 
everywhere I go.
  The yearly COLA increase is a recognition and appreciation of a 
grateful nation of the service and sacrifice of those who volunteer to 
wear the uniform of our country.
  Participating in this gesture of appreciation is one of the most 
rewarding responsibilities of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. As 
chairman, I am honored to be leading this effort to say thank you.
  I want to recognize the work of the Disability Assistance and 
Memorial Affairs Subcommittee chair, Elaine Luria, and ranking member,  
 Mike Bost, for sponsoring H.R. 1200 and for bringing this bill to the 
floor today.
  I am pleased that we are considering this bill early this year so 
veterans will not be concerned about its passage by the December 1 
deadline.
  I wholeheartedly support H.R. 1200 and urge all my colleagues to do 
so as well.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1200, the Veterans' 
Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2019.

[[Page H4043]]

  In keeping with the traditions of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
this bill was introduced by Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs 
Subcommittee Chair Elaine Luria and Ranking Member   Mike Bost. I 
appreciate their commitment to ensuring that veterans and their 
families can afford living expenses when prices go up.
  H.R. 1200 authorizes a cost-of-living increase for veterans and their 
families next year if Social Security recipients receive an increase.
  To put this in perspective, in 1975, a veteran who was rated totally 
disabled would receive at least $655 in monthly disability 
compensation. Because of the COLAs that Congress has passed for 
decades, totally disabled veterans now receive $2,907 in tax-free 
monthly disability compensation, an increase of 443 percent over the 
years. As you can see, H.R. 1200 is necessary to prevent inflation from 
eroding the value of veteran and survivor benefits.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 1200, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Luria), who is my good friend and the chairwoman of the 
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee and also a 
cosponsor of H.R. 1200.
  Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan 
bill, H.R. 1200, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment 
Act of 2019.
  In Congress, I have vowed to keep our Nation's veterans at the top of 
my mind, and I plan to deliver on that promise through this critical 
piece of legislation.
  I represent a coastal Virginia district with eight major military 
installations, including Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval 
station in the United States, so veterans are clearly a critical part 
of my constituency, just as they are honored members of every 
congressional district across America.
  Our veterans put their lives on the line and are deployed far from 
home to keep America safe. As a 20-year Navy veteran myself, I am proud 
to bring a bill to the floor that would eliminate the erosions of 
benefits they earned in service to our country.
  The Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act would 
recognize that the benefits we provide our veterans need to be 
modernized and increased the same way that Social Security has raised 
benefits to meet cost-of-living increases.

                              {time}  1645

  My bill enhances benefits for wartime disability compensation, 
compensation for dependents, clothing allowance, dependency and 
indemnity compensation to surviving spouses, and dependency and 
indemnity compensation to children.
  We have seen costs for disability care, clothing, and childcare 
increase over the years, and it is vital that we continue to provide 
benefits that actually meet the demands that our veterans see on the 
ground.
  A cost-of-living increase would aid veterans, their families, and 
their survivors to help maintain the value of their benefits against 
inflation. Without consistent increases, veterans and their families 
may not be able to have a consistent quality of life into their later 
years.
  Providing quality benefits to our veterans and their dependents can 
change lives, and Congress must honor the commitment to those American 
heroes who served in harm's way so that we can live in peace at home.
  I thank my colleagues on the Disability Assistance and Memorial 
Affairs Subcommittee and my ranking member,   Mike Bost, for being a 
cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge swift House passage so that 
we can do our part to push this into law and help our Nation's 
veterans.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and a marine 
veteran.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, this is a must-pass bill.
  I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for moving this 
piece of legislation forward as well.
  Many disabled veterans and their families depend on their veterans 
benefits to pay for things like food and medicine. For many of these 
veterans, these payments are a lifeline. In some cases, the benefits 
may even be the only income that the veteran has.
  It is only fair that we ensure that the benefits paid to veterans who 
were injured during military service do not lose value because of 
inflation. If we don't, it could become hard for people who were 
injured while serving our Nation in uniform to keep their heads above 
water.
  I want to thank Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs 
Subcommittee Chair Luria for her introduction of the bill.
  Madam Speaker, this bill has always enjoyed bipartisan support. I 
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1200.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I have no further 
speakers, and I am prepared to close.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage everyone to support this commonsense bill.
  I think my last duty assignment was probably in Mrs. Luria's 
district, Fort Eustis, Virginia. That is where my last 9 months in the 
Army was.
  I was raised in a military town: Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and 
Clarksville, Tennessee. I grew up around the military, and I just 
cannot thank them enough.
  This is the very least we can do for our disabled veterans, to give 
them a COLA which will, hopefully, make their lives a little bit better 
and thank them for their service.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I, too, join my ranking member in asking 
all of our colleagues to pass H.R. 1200.
  I thank Chairwoman Luria and Ranking Member Bost of the Subcommittee 
on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs for their hard work.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1200, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1200.
  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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