I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5444 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2006 

Mr. KNOLLENBERG introduced the following bill; which was 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. 

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 ‘‘Veterans’ Disability Com5 pensation Automatic COLA Act ’’. 


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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 amended 

6 by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

7 ‘‘(d) COMPENSATION AND DIC RATE ADJUST8 MENTS.—(1) Whenever there is an increase in benefit 

9 amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act 

10 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a result of a determination 

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

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

13 in benefit amounts, increase the dollar amounts in effect 

14 for the payment of disability compensation and depend15 ency and indemnity compensation by the Secretary, as 

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

17 immediately before the date of such increase in benefit 

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

19 by the same percentage as the percentage by which such 

20 benefit amounts are increased. 

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

22 paragraph (1) are the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) COMPENSATION.—Each of the dollar 

24 amounts in effect under section 1114 of this title. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DE2 PENDENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect 

3 under section 1115(1) of this title. 

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

5 amount in effect under section 1162 of this title. 

6 ‘‘(D) NEW DIC RATES.—The dollar amounts in 

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

8 1311(a) of this title. 

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

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

11 title. 

12 ‘‘(F) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES

13 WITH MINOR CHILDREN.—The dollar amount in ef14 fect under section 1311(b) of this title. 

15 ‘‘(G) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR DISABILITY.—The 

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

17 1311(d) of this title. 

18 ‘‘(H) DIC FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN.—The 

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

20 1314 of this title. 

21 ‘‘(3) Whenever there is an increase under paragraph 

22 (1) in amounts in effect for the payment of disability com23 pensation and dependency and indemnity compensation, 

24 the Secretary shall publish such amounts, as increased 

25 pursuant to such paragraph, in the Federal Register at 


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1 the same time as the material required by section 

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

3 415(i)(2)(D)) is published by reason of a determination 

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

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (d) of section 

6 5312 of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub7 section (a), shall take effect on January 1, 2007. 

Æ 


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