IB

Union Calendar No. 450

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4850

[Report No. 106–783]

To provide a cost-of-living adjustment in rates of compensation paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities, to enhance programs providing

compensation and life insurance benefits for veterans, and for other

purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 13, 2000

Mr. STUMP (for himself, Mr. EVANS, Mr. QUINN, and Mr. FILNER) introduced

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

JULY 24, 2000

Additional sponsors: Mr. STUPAK, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr.

KLINK, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr.

RODRIGUEZ, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. REYES,

Mr. SNYDER, Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. CARSON, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico,

Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota,

Mr. SHIMKUS, and Mr. BONIOR

JULY 24, 2000

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union

and ordered to be printed

A BILL

To provide a cost-of-living adjustment in rates of compensation paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities,

to enhance programs providing compensation and life

insurance benefits for veterans, and for other purposes.
2

•HR 4850 RH

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 Benefits Act

5 of 2000’’

6 TITLE I—ANNUAL

7 COMPENSATION INCREASE

8 SEC. 101. INCREASE IN RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSA9 TION AND DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY

10 COMPENSATION.

11 (a) RATE ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans

12 Affairs shall, effective on December 1, 2000, increase the

13 dollar amounts in effect for the payment of disability com14 pensation and dependency and indemnity compensation by

15 the Secretary, as specified in subsection (b).

16 (b) AMOUNTS TO BE INCREASED.—The dollar

17 amounts to be increased pursuant to subsection (a) are

18 the following:

19 (1) COMPENSATION.—Each of the dollar

20 amounts in effect under section 1114 of title 38,

21 United States Code.

22 (2) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DEPEND23 ENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect under

24 sections 1115(1) of such title.
3

•HR 4850 RH

1 (3) CLOTHING ALLOWANCE.—The dollar

2 amount in effect under section 1162 of such title.

3 (4) NEW DIC RATES.—The dollar amounts in

4 effect under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section

5 1311(a) of such title.

6 (5) OLD DIC RATES.—Each of the dollar

7 amounts in effect under section 1311(a)(3) of such

8 title.

9 (6) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES

10 WITH MINOR CHILDREN.—The dollar amount in ef11 fect under section 1311(b) of such title.

12 (7) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR DISABILITY.—The

13 dollar amounts in effect under sections 1311(c) and

14 1311(d) of such title.

15 (8) DIC FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN.—The

16 dollar amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and

17 1314 of such title.

18 (c) DETERMINATION OF INCREASE.—(1) The in19 crease under subsection (a) shall be made in the dollar

20 amounts specified in subsection (b) as in effect on Novem21 ber 30, 2000. Each such amount shall be increased by the

22 same percentage as the percentage by which benefit

23 amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act

24 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) are increased effective December
4

•HR 4850 RH

1 1, 2000, as a result of a determination under section

2 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)).

3 (2) In the computation of increased dollar amounts

4 pursuant to paragraph (1), any amount which as so com5 puted is not a whole dollar amount shall be rounded down

6 to the next lower whole dollar amount.

7 (d) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may adjust ad8 ministratively, consistent with the increases made under

9 subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation pay10 able to persons within the purview of section 10 of Public

11 Law 85–857 (72 Stat. 1263) who are not in receipt of

12 compensation payable pursuant to chapter 11 of title 38,

13 United States Code.

14 SEC. 102. PUBLICATION OF ADJUSTED RATES.

15 At the same time as the matters specified in section

16 215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

17 415(i)(2)(D)) are required to be published by reason of

18 a determination made under section 215(i) of such Act

19 during fiscal year 2000, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

20 shall publish in the Federal Register the amounts specified

21 in subsection (b) of section 101, as increased pursuant to

22 that section.
5

•HR 4850 RH

1 TITLE II—BENEFITS

2 IMPROVEMENTS

3 SEC. 201. STROKES AND HEART ATTACKS INCURRED OR

4 AGGRAVATED BY MEMBERS OF RESERVE

5 COMPONENTS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF

6 DUTY WHILE PERFORMING INACTIVE DUTY

7 TRAINING TO BE CONSIDERED TO BE SERV8 ICE-CONNECTED.

9 (a) SCOPE OF TERM ‘‘ACTIVE MILITARY, NAVAL, OR

10 AIR SERVICE’’.—Section 101(24) of title 38, United

11 States Code, is amended to read as follows:

12 ‘‘(24) The term ‘‘active military, naval, or air service’’

13 includes—

14 ‘‘(A) active duty;

15 ‘‘(B) any period of active duty for training dur16 ing which the individual concerned was disabled or

17 died from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated

18 in line of duty; and

19 ‘‘(C) any period of inactive duty training during

20 which the individual concerned was disabled or

21 died—

22 ‘‘(i) from an injury incurred or aggravated

23 in line of duty; or
6

•HR 4850 RH

1 ‘‘(ii) from an acute myocardial infarction,

2 a cardiac arrest, or a cerebrovascular accident

3 occurring during such training.’’.

4 (b) TRAVEL TO OR FROM TRAINING DUTY.—Section

5 106(d) of such title is amended—

6 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(d)’’;

7 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as

8 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;

9 (3) by inserting ‘‘or covered disease’’ after ‘‘in10 jury’’ each place it appears;

11 (4) by designating the second sentence as para12 graph (2);

13 (5) by designating the third sentence as para14 graph (3); and

15 (6) by adding at the end the following new

16 paragraph:

17 ‘‘(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘cov18 ered disease’ means any of the following:

19 ‘‘(A) Acute myocardial infarction.

20 ‘‘(B) A cardiac arrest.

21 ‘‘(C) A cerebrovascular accident.’’.
7

•HR 4850 RH

1 SEC. 202. COMPENSATION TO BE PAID AT SO-CALLED ‘‘K’’

2 RATE FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED LOSS OF

3 ONE OR BOTH BREASTS DUE TO RADICAL

4 MASTECTOMY.

5 Section 1114(k) of title 38, United States Code, is

6 amended by inserting ‘‘or one or both breasts due to a

7 radical mastectomy or modified radical mastectomy,’’ after

8 ‘‘loss or loss of use of one or more creative organs,’’.

9 TITLE III—VETERANS LIFE

10 INSURANCE

11 SEC. 301. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE INDI12 VIDUAL READY RESERVE FOR

13 SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE.

14 (a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 1965(5) of title 38,

15 United States Code, is amended—

16 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara17 graph (B);

18 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub19 paragraph (D); and

20 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol21 lowing new subparagraph (C):

22 ‘‘(C) a person who volunteers for assign23 ment to a mobilization category in the Indi24 vidual Ready Reserve, as defined in section

25 12304(i)(1) of title 10; and’’.
8

•HR 4850 RH

1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Sections 1967(a),

2 1968(a), and 1969(a)(2)(A) of such title are amended by

3 striking ‘‘section 1965(5)(B) of this title’’ each place it

4 appears and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (B) or (C) of sec5 tion 1965(5) of this title’’.

6 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

7 this section take effect on October 1, 2000.

Union Calendar No. 450

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4850

[Report No. 106–783]

A BILL

To provide a cost-of-living adjustment in rates of

compensation paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities, to enhance programs providing compensation and life insurance benefitsfor veterans, and for other purposes.

JULY 24, 2000

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the

State of the Union and ordered to be printed