Dateline: 05/06/02

American veterans can look forward to a package of new and enhanced benefits along with an annual cost of living raise thanks to a recent move by a subcommittee of the House of Representatives.

On May 2, the Benefits Subcommittee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously voted to amend the annual Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act (H.R. 4085) by adding key provisions from other proposed veterans' benefits enhancement bills, including the Jobs for Veterans Act (H.R. 4015).

The Jobs for Veterans Act reforms the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the Department of Labor which has responsibility for helping military veterans transition to the civilian job market.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Benefits Subcommittee chairman stated that the Jobs for Veterans Act would, "establish a new performance accountability system that will continually measure whether veterans are being helped. Whether the service member is stationed at the 38th parallel in Korea, on a nuclear sub in the South Pacific, or at a base right here in the United States, this initiative will put job opportunities or job training right at their finger tips."

The bill also authorizes $260 million over five years for performance incentive awards to states that provide the highest quality of services or that have made significant improvements in service for veterans job placement. 

But wait, there's more
Along with the Jobs for Veterans Act, the Benefits Subcommittee voted to include provisions of four other bills designed to help veterans, including:

• H.R. 1108 - Allows surviving spouses of veterans over age 65 who remarry to continue getting veterans' benefits.
• H.R. 2222 - Increases from $90,000 to $150,000 coverage under Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance and extends coverage to veterans over age 70.
• H.R. 3731 - Increases to $18 million per year funds extended to state agencies designated to check the qualifications of schools receiving Montgomery GI Bill payments.
• H.R. 2095 - Allows reservists to pay the same home loan fees as paid by active duty military personnel.

The actual percentage of the basic cost of living increase for veterans under H.R. 4085 will be the same as that approved by Congress for increases in Social Security payments for fiscal year 2003. The Congressional Budget Office projects that this increase will be 2.3 percent. 

Increases in both veterans' benefits and Social Security payments are considered and set annually by Congress as part of the federal budget process. 

The House Committee of Veterans Affairs plans to markup and forward the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2002 to the full House on May 9, with House approval expected before the Memorial Day recess.

"We must remember that many who served in our military never lived to be called veterans. We must remember many had their lives changed forever by experiences or the injuries of combat. All veterans are examples of service and citizenship for every American to remember and to follow." -- President Bush, Oct. 30, 2001