Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014

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

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.

I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding to me and for all her hard work on behalf of our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, I rise in support of S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act.

Unlike Social Security COLA increases, Congress must act each year to provide veterans with the COLA increase that they earned and deserved.

I was proud to introduce the corresponding legislation in the House with our subcommittee chairman, Jon Runyan. Together, we also introduced legislation to make this yearly adjustment automatic.

So today, the House will pass a number of bills that are designed to meet the bipartisan goal of ensuring our Nation's heroes receive all the benefits they have earned. But there is an important bill that has been blocked from consideration in the House. That bill is H.R. 2529, the Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act, which would provide all married veterans and their families access to Federal benefits that they deserve.

Last week in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, only one Republican had the courage to vote to provide access to VA benefits to legally married, same-sex couples, regardless of where they live, couples who received the benefits while they were in the military but lost them upon becoming veterans if they reside in certain States.

We heard all types of pitiful excuses. We heard that it was unconstitutional for Congress to force States to adopt Federal directives. That is ridiculous and intellectually dishonest. In fact, this House voted unanimously earlier this year to mandate that States provide instate tuition for veterans, a bill authored by the very Member who made the specious states' rights argument against H.R. 2529. And if you can even believe it, we heard process arguments as an excuse for not doing the right thing. I would remind my colleagues that they are the ones who make the process.

So when we vote today to adjust the COLA, remember that this increase is meaningless to thousands of our Nation's heroes in States like Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. They will not be receiving the benefits they earned and deserve. It is shameful and it is unfair.

So, Mr. Speaker, while I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2258, I would remind them of these facts and implore the Republican leadership to do the right thing and bring H.R. 2529 to the floor for a vote so all veterans will get the benefits they earned and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

As a senior member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I rise today in favor of S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of- Living Adjustment Act of 2014.

Mr. Speaker, it is timely that we consider this legislation today, having just observed last week the 13th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on our homeland, the catalyst for our efforts to fight terrorism.

Many of those who have sacrificed so much in recent and past conflicts aimed to protect America from harm are in continued and increased need. This is critical legislation that authorizes a cost-of- living adjustment for disabled veterans receiving disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other compensation for survivors of veterans who have died as a result of their services to our country.

The amount of the payment increases will be determined by the Consumer Price Index, which controls the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security payments as well.

I would like to thank Congressman Runyan of New Jersey, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs within the Committee on Veterans Affairs, for introducing H.R. 4095, a companion bill to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I too urge all Members to support S. 2258, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, last week the Senate passed S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014, which provides that veterans receive a cost-of-living adjustment beginning in December. Today, the House

can also act to ensure veterans continue to receive the support they deserve.

This is a bill that we must pass every year in order to ensure that the benefits we pay our veterans do not lose purchasing power because of inflation. Today we have the opportunity to pass this measure and send it to the President's desk.

This bill directs the VA to increase the rates of veterans' disability compensation, provide additional compensation for disabled veterans with dependents, ensure certain disabled veterans receive a clothing allowance, and increase dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. These adjustments would be made effective December 1, 2014, and match the increase in Social Security benefits.

S. 2258 will assist the estimated 4.5 million veterans and survivors who receive these monthly benefits and often depend upon these payments to make ends meet. For some, it is their only source of income.

Without this annual COLA increase, veterans, their families and survivors, would see the value of their hard-earned benefits slowly erode. Providing for this cost-of-living increase is another important thing Congress can do to help veterans and their families that have already sacrificed so much for us.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 2258, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2258 and send this important bill to the President today.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014.

Mr. Speaker, it is an undeniable truth that our military veterans deserve our deepest gratitude for the courage and valor they demonstrated while defending the United States of America.

One way the nation can express its deepest appreciation for our service men and women is by assisting disabled veterans with compensation and financial support.

The VA estimated that it will provide compensation to over 4 million beneficiaries in FY 2014.

Among the veterans estimated to receive such compensation are:

136,897 World War II veterans

140,169 Korean War veterans

1,327,348 Vietnam-era veterans

1,546,030 Gulf War-era veterans

695,574 veterans who served during peacetime

Close to half of the nearly 2 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have or will seek compensation for service-related injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We must be certain that disability compensation provides adequate assistance to veterans, and this bill does so by increasing the amounts paid by the same cost-of-living adjustment that will be payable to Social Security recipients.

Mr. Speaker, not only does S. 2258 benefit our injured veterans, it also helps the families of these injured service members by providing increased compensation for dependents and surviving spouses.

By passing S. 2258, countless veterans and their families would have financial stress alleviated thanks to increased rates of veterans' disability compensation.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all members to support the passage of S. 2258 to ensure that all of our courageous veterans receive adequate disability compensation.