Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2019

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.