109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1234

AN ACT

To increase, effective as of December 1, 2005, 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.

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’ Compensa5 tion Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2005’’.
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1 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSA2 TION AND DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY

3 COMPENSATION.

4 (a) VETERANS’ DISABILITY COMPENSATION.—Sec5 tion 1114 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

6 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$106’’ and

7 inserting ‘‘$112’’;

8 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$205’’ and

9 inserting ‘‘$218’’;

10 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$316’’ and

11 inserting ‘‘$337’’;

12 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘$454’’ and

13 inserting ‘‘$485’’;

14 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘$646’’ and

15 inserting ‘‘$690’’;

16 (6) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘$817’’ and

17 inserting ‘‘$873’’;

18 (7) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘$1,029’’ and

19 inserting ‘‘$1,099’’;

20 (8) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘$1,195’’ and

21 inserting ‘‘$1,277’’;

22 (9) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘$1,344’’ and

23 inserting ‘‘$1,436’’;

24 (10) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘$2,239’’ and

25 inserting ‘‘$2,393’’;

26 (11) in subsection (k)—
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1 (A) by striking ‘‘$82’’ both places it ap2 pears and inserting ‘‘$87’’; and

3 (B) by striking ‘‘$2,785’’ and ‘‘$3,907’’

4 and inserting ‘‘$2,977’’ and ‘‘$4,176’’, respec5 tively;

6 (12) in subsection (l), by striking ‘‘$2,785’’ and

7 inserting ‘‘$2,977’’;

8 (13) in subsection (m), by striking ‘‘$3,073’’

9 and inserting ‘‘$3,284’’;

10 (14) in subsection (n), by striking ‘‘$3,496’’

11 and inserting ‘‘$3,737’’;

12 (15) in subsections (o) and (p), by striking

13 ‘‘$3,907’’ each place it appears and inserting

14 ‘‘$4,176’’;

15 (16) in subsection (r), by striking ‘‘$1,677’’ and

16 ‘‘$2,497’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,792’’ and ‘‘$2,669’’, re17 spectively; and

18 (17) in subsection (s), by striking ‘‘$2,506’’ and

19 inserting ‘‘$2,678’’.

20 (b) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DEPEND21 ENTS.—Section 1115(1) of such title is amended—

22 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘$127’’

23 and inserting ‘‘$135’’;
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1 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘$219’’

2 and ‘‘$65’’ and inserting ‘‘$233’’ and ‘‘$68’’, respec3 tively;

4 (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$86’’ and

5 ‘‘$65’’ and inserting ‘‘$91’’ and ‘‘$68’’, respectively;

6 (4) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘$103’’

7 and inserting ‘‘$109’’;

8 (5) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘$241’’

9 and inserting ‘‘$257’’; and

10 (6) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘$202’’

11 and inserting ‘‘$215’’.

12 (c) CLOTHING ALLOWANCE FOR CERTAIN DISABLED

13 VETERANS.—Section 1162 of such title is amended by

14 striking ‘‘$600’’ and inserting ‘‘$641’’.

15 (d) DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION

16 FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES.—

17 (1) NEW LAW DIC.—Section 1311(a) of such

18 title is amended—

19 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$967’’

20 and inserting ‘‘$1,033’’; and

21 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$208’’

22 and inserting ‘‘$221’’.

23 (2) OLD LAW DIC.—The table in paragraph (3)

24 of such section is amended to read as follows:
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‘‘Pay grade Monthly rate Pay grade Monthly rate

E–1 ............................ $1,033 W–4 .......................... $1,236

E–2............................ $1,033 O–1 ........................... $1,092

E–3 ............................ $1,033 O–2........................... $1,128

E–4 ............................ $1,033 O–3 ........................... $1,207

E–5 ............................ $1,033 O–4 ........................... $1,277

E–6 ............................ $1,033 O–5 ........................... $1,406

E–7 ............................ $1,069 O–6 ........................... $1,585

E–8 ............................ $1,128 O–7 ........................... $1,712

E–9 ............................ $1,1771 O–8 ........................... $1,879

W–1 ............................ $1,092O–9 ........................... $2,010

W–2 ............................ $1,135 O–10 ......................... $2,2042

W–3 ............................ $1,169 ................................... ........................

1 If the veteran served as sergeant major of the Army, senior enlisted advisor of the Navy, chief

master sergeant of the Air Force, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, or master chief petty officer

of the Coast Guard, at the applicable time designated by section 1302 of this title, the surviving

spouse’s rate shall be $1,271. 2 If the veteran served as Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of

Staff of the Army, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Commandant of the

Marine Corps, or Commandant of the Coast Guard, at the applicable time designated by section

1302 of this title, the surviving spouse’s rate shall be $2,365.’’.

1 (3) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR CHILDREN OR DIS2 ABILITY.—Section 1311 of such title is amended—

3 (A) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$241’’

4 and inserting ‘‘$257’’;

5 (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$241’’

6 and inserting ‘‘$257’’; and

7 (C) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘$115’’

8 and inserting ‘‘$122’’.

9 (e) DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION

10 FOR CHILDREN.—

11 (1) DIC WHEN NO SURVIVING SPOUSE.—Section

12 1313(a) of such title is amended—

13 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$410’’

14 and inserting ‘‘$438’’;

15 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$590’’

16 and inserting ‘‘$629’’;
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1 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘$767’’

2 and inserting ‘‘$819’’; and

3 (D) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘$767’’

4 and ‘‘$148’’ and inserting ‘‘$819’’ and ‘‘$157’’,

5 respectively.

6 (2) SUPPLEMENTAL DIC FOR CERTAIN CHIL7 DREN.—Section 1314 of such title is amended—

8 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$241’’

9 and inserting ‘‘$257’’;

10 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$410’’

11 and inserting ‘‘$438’’; and

12 (C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘$205’’

13 and inserting ‘‘$218’’.

14 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

15 this section shall take effect on December 1, 2005.

16 (g) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may adjust ad17 ministratively, consistent with the increases made under

18 subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation pay19 able to persons within the purview of section 10 of Public

20 Law 85–857 (72 Stat. 1263) who are not in receipt of
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1 compensation payable pursuant to chapter 11 of title 38,

2 United States Code.

Passed the Senate November 16, 2005.

Attest:

Secretary.
109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1234

AN ACT

To increase, effective as of December 1, 2005, the

vivors of certain disabled veterans.ency and indemnity compensation for the surconnected disabilities and the rates of dependrates of compensation for veterans with service-