II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 408 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual cost-of-living 

adjustments to be made automatically by law each year in the rates 

of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities 

and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors 

of certain service-connected disabled veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 

Mr. THUNE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual 

cost-of-living adjustments to be made automatically by 

law each year in the rates of disability compensation 

for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the 

rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans’ Disability 

5 Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2019’’. 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 408 IS

1 SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC ANNUAL INCREASE IN RATES OF DIS2 ABILITY COMPENSATION AND DEPENDENCY 

3 AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION. 

4 (a) INDEXING TO SOCIAL SECURITY INCREASES.— 

5 Section 5312 of title 38, United States Code, is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub8 section (d); 

9 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol10 lowing new subsection: 

11 ‘‘(c)(1) Whenever there is an increase in benefit 

12 amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act 

13 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a result of a determination 

14 made under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)), 

15 the Secretary shall, effective on the date of such increase 

16 in benefit amounts, increase the dollar amounts in effect 

17 for the payment of disability compensation and depend18 ency and indemnity compensation by the Secretary, as 

19 specified in paragraph (2), as such amounts were in effect 

20 immediately before the date of such increase in benefit 

21 amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act, 

22 by the same percentage as the percentage by which such 

23 benefit amounts are increased. 

24 ‘‘(2) The dollar amounts to be increased pursuant to 

25 paragraph (1) are the following: 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 408 IS

1 ‘‘(A) DISABILITY COMPENSATION.—Each of the 

2 dollar amounts in effect under section 1114 of this 

3 title. 

4 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DE5 PENDENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect 

6 under section 1115(1) of this title. 

7 ‘‘(C) CLOTHING ALLOWANCE.—The dollar 

8 amount in effect under section 1162 of this title. 

9 ‘‘(D) NEW DIC RATES.—Each of the dollar 

10 amounts in effect under paragraphs (1) and (2) of 

11 section 1311(a) of this title. 

12 ‘‘(E) OLD DIC RATES.—Each of the dollar 

13 amounts in effect under section 1311(a)(3) of this 

14 title. 

15 ‘‘(F) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES

16 WITH MINOR CHILDREN.—The dollar amount in ef17 fect under section 1311(b) of this title. 

18 ‘‘(G) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR DISABILITY.—Each 

19 of the dollar amounts in effect under subsections (c) 

20 and (d) of section 1311 of this title. 

21 ‘‘(H) DIC FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN.—Each 

22 of the dollar amounts in effect under sections 

23 1313(a) and 1314 of this title.’’; and 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 408 IS

1 (3) by adding at the end of subsection (d), as 

2 redesignated by paragraph (1), the following new 

3 paragraph: 

4 ‘‘(3) Whenever there is an increase under subsection 

5 (c)(1) in amounts in effect for the payment of disability 

6 compensation and dependency and indemnity compensa7 tion, the Secretary shall publish such amounts, as in8 creased pursuant to such subsection, in the Federal Reg9 ister at the same time as the material required by section 

10 215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

11 415(i)(2)(D)) is published by reason of a determination 

12 under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)).’’. 

13 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (c) of section 

14 5312 of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub15 section (a) of this section, shall take effect on the first 

16 day of the first calendar year that begins after the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS