II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 735 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and assistance 

provided to surviving spouses of veterans under laws administered by 

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 16, 2013 

Mr. SANDERS 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 improve benefits 

and assistance provided to surviving spouses of veterans 

under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs, 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 ‘‘Survivor Benefits Im5 provement Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF INITIAL PERIOD FOR INCREASED 

2 DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSA3 TION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES WITH CHIL4 DREN. 

5 Section 1311(f)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 

6 is amended by striking ‘‘two-year’’ and inserting ‘‘five7 year’’. 

8 SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY 

9 COMPENSATION, HEALTH CARE, AND HOUS10 ING LOANS FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES WHO 

11 REMARRY AFTER AGE 55. 

12 Subparagraph (B) of section 103(d)(2) of title 38, 

13 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(B) The remarriage after age 55 of the surviving 

15 spouse of a veteran shall not bar the furnishing of benefits 

16 specified in paragraph (5) to such person as the surviving 

17 spouse of the veteran.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN OF CERTAIN THAILAND 

19 SERVICE VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA 

20 BIFIDA. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 18 of 

22 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

23 end the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand 

2 service veterans born with spina bifida 

3 ‘‘(a) BENEFITS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 

4 provide to any child of a veteran of covered service in 

5 Thailand who is suffering from spina bifida the health 

6 care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary 

7 allowance required to be paid to a child of a Vietnam vet8 eran who is suffering from spina bifida under subchapter 

9 I of this chapter as if such child of a veteran of covered 

10 service in Thailand were a child of a Vietnam veteran who 

11 is suffering from spina bifida under such subchapter. 

12 ‘‘(b) SPINA BIFIDA CONDITIONS COVERED.—This 

13 section applies with respect to all forms and manifesta14 tions of spina bifida, except spina bifida occulta. 

15 ‘‘(c) VETERAN OF COVERED SERVICE IN THAI16 LAND.—For purposes of this section, a veteran of covered 

17 service in Thailand is any individual, without regard to 

18 the characterization of that individual’s service, who— 

19 ‘‘(1) served in the active military, naval, or air 

20 service in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary 

21 in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, dur22 ing the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and 

23 ending on May 7, 1975; and 

24 ‘‘(2) is determined by the Secretary, in con25 sultation with the Secretary of Defense, to have been 


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1 exposed to a herbicide agent during such service in 

2 Thailand. 

3 ‘‘(d) HERBICIDE AGENT.—For purposes of this sec4 tion, the term ‘herbicide agent’ means a chemical in a her5 bicide used in support of United States and allied military 

6 operations in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary in 

7 consultation with the Secretary of Defense, during the pe8 riod beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 

9 7, 1975.’’. 

10 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (1) SUBCHAPTER HEADING.—The heading for 

12 subchapter III of chapter 18 of such title is amend13 ed by inserting ‘‘AND THAILAND’’ after 

14 ‘‘KOREA’’. 

15 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

16 at the beginning of chapter 18 of such title is 

17 amended— 

18 (A) by striking the item relating to sub19 chapter III and inserting the following new 

20 item: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—CHILDREN OF CERTAIN KOREA AND THAILAND SERVICE

VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA BIFIDA’’; 

21 and 

22 (B) by inserting after the item relating to 

23 section 1821 the following new item: 

‘‘1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand service veterans born with spina 

bifida.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. PILOT PROGRAM ON GRIEF COUNSELING IN RE2 TREAT SETTINGS FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES 

3 OF VETERANS WHO DIE WHILE SERVING ON 

4 ACTIVE DUTY IN THE ARMED FORCES. 

5 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 

7 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

8 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out, 

9 through the Readjustment Counseling Service of the 

10 Veterans Health Administration, a pilot program to 

11 assess the feasibility and advisability of providing 

12 grief counseling services described in subsection (b) 

13 in group retreat settings to surviving spouses of vet14 erans who die while serving on active duty in the 

15 Armed Forces. 

16 (2) PARTICIPATION AT ELECTION OF SUR17 VIVING SPOUSE.—The participation of a surviving 

18 spouse in the pilot program under this section shall 

19 be at the election of the surviving spouse. 

20 (b) COVERED SERVICES.—The services provided to a 

21 surviving spouse under the pilot program shall include the 

22 following: 

23 (1) Information and counseling on coping with 

24 grief. 


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1 (2) Information about benefits and services 

2 available to surviving spouses under laws adminis3 tered by the Secretary. 

4 (3) Such other information and counseling as 

5 the Secretary considers appropriate to assist a sur6 viving spouse under the pilot program with adjusting 

7 to the death of a spouse. 

8 (c) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall carry out the 

9 pilot program at not fewer than six locations as follows: 

10 (1) Three locations at which surviving spouses 

11 with dependent children are encouraged to bring 

12 their children. 

13 (2) Three locations at which surviving spouses 

14 with dependent children are not encouraged to bring 

15 their children. 

16 (d) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be carried 

17 out during the two-year period beginning on the date of 

18 the commencement of the pilot program. 

19 (e) REPORTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

21 after the completion of the first year of the pilot 

22 program and not later than 180 days after the com23 pletion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall sub24 mit to Congress a report on the pilot program. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

2 paragraph (1) shall contain the findings and conclu3 sions of the Secretary as a result of the pilot pro4 gram, and shall include such recommendations for 

5 the continuation or expansion of the pilot program 

6 as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

7 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘active 

8 duty’’, ‘‘surviving spouse’’, and ‘‘veteran’’ have the mean9 ings given such terms in section 101 of title 38, United 

10 States Code. 

Æ 


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