[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 44 (Monday, November 6, 2000)]
[Pages 2720-2721]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
 Statement on Signing the Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement 
Act of 2000

 November 1, 2000

     Today I have signed into law S. 1402, the ``Veterans Benefits and 
Health Care Improvement Act of 2000.'' S. 1402 expresses the Nation's 
continued gratitude to our veterans by reauthorizing and making 
improvements to a wide range of veterans' benefits and programs.
     I am pleased that the Congress has included in S. 1402 significant 
benefit increases and other enhancements to the All-Volunteer Force 
Educational Assistance Program, which is commonly known as the 
Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). This program helps the men and women who have 
bravely served their country in the Armed Forces to adjust to civilian 
life. In addition, it is a major tool that the Armed Forces use to 
recruit highly qualified servicemembers. This Act increases the basic 
MGIB benefit for a 3-year period of service to $650 monthly and the rate 
for a 2-year period of service to $528 monthly. These rates represent 
the single largest benefit increase in MGIB's 15-year history and are 
similar to the levels of increase the Vice President and I proposed 
earlier this year.
     This legislation also includes increases for education allowances 
for the survivors and dependents of veterans, resulting in a $588 
monthly benefit for a full-time student. Further, this Act will protect 
these survivors' and dependents' benefits against inflation by providing 
annual cost-of-living adjustments like those adjustments that already 
apply to veterans' education benefits.
     Beyond the significant enhancements to education assistance, this 
legislation makes

[[Page 2721]]

several important changes to disability compensation benefits. Among 
them are provisions that will extend monthly disability allowances, 
vocational training, and health care to women Vietnam veterans' children 
who are born with certain medical conditions. These women veterans made 
huge sacrifices to protect our freedom, and it is only just that their 
children with resulting medical conditions be compensated. Similar 
benefits are currently afforded to such children who were born with 
spina bifida, but this Act will expand benefits beyond that one 
condition.
     This legislation also enhances benefits for Filipino veterans of 
World War II who currently receive disability compensation and burial 
benefits at a rate equal to one-half the rate that U.S. veterans 
receive. It reinforces the long-overdue step taken by the Departments of 
Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001, that authorizes the payment of these 
benefits at the full rate to Filipino veterans who have become U.S. 
citizens or are permanent residents and reside in the United States. In 
addition, this Act extends to these veterans the eligibility for burial 
in national cemeteries.
     These benefits are just a few examples of the effects that this 
comprehensive bill will have on improving benefits and services for our 
veterans. On behalf of a grateful Nation, I am pleased to sign S. 1402. 
We are indebted to our veterans for the contributions that they have 
made to protect our security and well-being.
                                            William J. Clinton
 The White House,
 November 1, 2000.

  Note:  S. 1402, approved November 1, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
419.