In the Senate of the United States,

July 26, 1999.

Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 2280) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend title 38, United

States Code, to provide a cost-of-living adjustment in rates

of compensation paid for service-connected disabilities, to enhance the compensation, memorial affairs, and housing programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to improve retirement authorities applicable to judges of the United States

Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following

AMENDMENT:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans’ Compensation

3 Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.

5 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in

6 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of

7 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision,
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1 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or

2 other provision of title 38, United States Code.

3 SEC. 3. INCREASE IN RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSATION

4 AND DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COM5 PENSATION.

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

7 Affairs shall, effective on December 1, 1999, increase the dol8 lar amounts in effect for the payment of disability com9 pensation and dependency and indemnity compensation by

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

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

12 amounts to be increased pursuant to subsection (a) are the

13 following:

14 (1) COMPENSATION.—Each of the dollar amounts

15 in effect under section 1114 of title 38, United States

16 Code.

17 (2) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DEPEND18 ENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect under

19 sections 1115(1) of such title.

20 (3) CLOTHING ALLOWANCE.—The dollar amount

21 in effect under section 1162 of such title.

22 (4) NEW DIC RATES.—The dollar amounts in ef23 fect under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1311(a)

24 of such title.
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1 (5) OLD DIC RATES.—Each of the dollar

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

3 title.

4 (6) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES

5 WITH MINOR CHILDREN.—The dollar amount in effect

6 under section 1311(b) of such title.

7 (7) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR DISABILITY.—The dol8 lar amounts in effect under sections 1311(c) and

9 1311(d) of such title.

10 (8) DIC FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN.—The dol11 lar amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and

12 1314 of such title.

13 (c) DETERMINATION OF INCREASE.—(1) The increase

14 under subsection (a) shall be made in the dollar amounts

15 specified in subsection (b) as in effect on November 30,

16 1999.

17 (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), each such

18 amount shall be increased by the same percentage as the

19 percentage by which benefit amounts payable under title II

20 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) are in21 creased effective December 1, 1999, as a result of a deter22 mination under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C.

23 415(i)).
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1 (3) Each dollar amount increased pursuant to para2 graph (2) shall, if not a whole dollar amount, be rounded

3 down to the next lower whole dollar amount.

4 (d) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs

5 may adjust administratively, consistent with the increases

6 made under subsection (a), the rates of disability compensa7 tion payable to persons within the purview of section 10

8 of Public Law 85–857 (72 Stat. 1263) who are not in re9 ceipt of compensation payable pursuant to chapter 11 of

10 title 38, United States Code.

11 SEC. 4. PUBLICATION OF ADJUSTED RATES.

12 At the same time as the matters specified in section

13 215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

14 415(i)(2)(D)) are required to be published by reason of a

15 determination made under section 215(i) of such Act during

16 fiscal year 2000, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall pub17 lish in the Federal Register the amounts specified in sub18 section (b) of section 3, as increased pursuant to that sec19 tion.

20 SEC. 5. DISABILITY COMPENSATION RATE AMENDMENTS.

21 Section 1114 is amended—

22 (1) by striking ‘‘$95’’ in subsection (a) and in23 serting ‘‘$96’’;

24 (2) by striking ‘‘$182’’ in subsection (b) and in25 serting ‘‘$184’’;
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1 (3) by striking ‘‘$279’’ in subsection (c) and in2 serting ‘‘$282’’;

3 (4) by striking ‘‘$399’’ in subsection (d) and in4 serting ‘‘$404’’;

5 (5) by striking ‘‘$569’’ in subsection (e) and in6 serting ‘‘$576’’;

7 (6) by striking ‘‘$717’’ in subsection (f) and in8 serting ‘‘$726’’;

9 (7) by striking ‘‘$905’’ in subsection (g) and in10 serting ‘‘$916’’;

11 (8) by striking ‘‘$1,049’’ in subsection (h) and

12 inserting ‘‘$1,062’’;

13 (9) by striking ‘‘$1,181’’ in subsection (i) and

14 inserting ‘‘$1,196’’;

15 (10) by striking ‘‘$1,964’’ in subsection (j) and

16 inserting ‘‘$1,989’’;

17 (11) by striking ‘‘$2,443’’ and ‘‘$3,426’’ in sub18 section (k) and inserting ‘‘$2,474’’ and ‘‘$3,470’’, re19 spectively;

20 (12) by striking ‘‘$2,443’’ in subsection (l) and

21 inserting ‘‘$2,474’’;

22 (13) by striking ‘‘$2,694’’ in subsection (m) and

23 inserting ‘‘$2,729’’;

24 (14) by striking ‘‘$3,066’’ in subsection (n) and

25 inserting ‘‘$3,105’’;
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1 (15) by striking ‘‘$3,426’’ each place it appears

2 in subsections (o) and (p) and inserting ‘‘$3,470’’;

3 (16) by striking ‘‘$1,471’’ and ‘‘$2,190’’ in sub4 section (r) and inserting ‘‘$1,490’’ and ‘‘$2,218’’, re5 spectively; and

6 (17) by striking ‘‘$2,199’’ in subsection (s) and

7 inserting ‘‘$2,227’’.

8 SEC. 6. RATE AMENDMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL COMPENSA9 TION FOR DEPENDENTS.

10 Section 1115(1) is amended—

11 (1) by striking ‘‘$114’’ in clause (A) and insert12 ing ‘‘$115’’;

13 (2) by striking ‘‘$195’’ in clause (B) and insert14 ing ‘‘$197’’;

15 (3) by striking ‘‘$78’’ in clause (C) and inserting

16 ‘‘$79’’;

17 (4) by striking ‘‘$92’’ in clause (D) and insert18 ing ‘‘$93’’;

19 (5) by striking ‘‘$215’’ in clause (E) and insert20 ing ‘‘$217’’; and

21 (6) by striking ‘‘$180’’ in clause (F) and insert22 ing ‘‘$182’’.
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1 SEC. 7. RATE AMENDMENT FOR CLOTHING ALLOWANCE

2 FOR CERTAIN DISABLED VETERANS.

3 Section 1162 is amended by striking ‘‘$528’’ and in4 serting ‘‘$534’’.

5 SEC. 8. RATE AMENDMENTS FOR DEPENDENCY AND INDEM6 NITY COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVING

7 SPOUSES.

8 (a) NEW LAW RATES.—Section 1311(a) is amended—

9 (1) by striking ‘‘$850’’ in paragraph (1) and in10 serting ‘‘$861’’; and

11 (2) by striking ‘‘$185’’ in paragraph (2) and in12 serting ‘‘$187’’.

13 (b) OLD LAW RATES.—The table in section 1311(a)(3)

14 is amended to read as follows:

Monthly Monthly

‘‘Pay grade rate Pay grade rate

E–1 ............. $861 W–4 ............. $1,030

E–2 ............. 861 O–1 ............. 909

E–3 ............. 861 O–2 ............. 940

E–4 ............. 861 O–3 ............. 1,004

E–5 ............. 861 O–4 ............. 1,062

E–6 ............. 861 O–5 ............. 1,170

E–7 ............. 890 O–6 ............. 1,318

E–8 ............. 940 O–7 ............. 1,424

E–9 ............. 1980 O–8 ............. 1,561

W–1 ............. 909 O–9 ............. 1,672

W–2 ............. 946 O–10 ........... 21,834

W–3 ............. 974

‘‘1If 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 $1,057.

‘‘2If 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

$1,966.’’.
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1 (c) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR CHILDREN.—Section

2 1311(b) is amended by striking ‘‘$215’’ and inserting

3 ‘‘$217’’.

4 (d) AID AND ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE.—Section

5 1311(c) is amended by striking ‘‘$215’’ and inserting

6 ‘‘$217’’.

7 (e) HOUSEBOUND RATE.—Section 1311(d) is amended

8 by striking ‘‘$104’’ and inserting ‘‘$105’’.

9 SEC. 9. RATE AMENDMENTS FOR DEPENDENCY AND INDEM10 NITY COMPENSATION FOR CHILDREN.

11 (a) DIC FOR ORPHAN CHILDREN.—Section 1313(a) is

12 amended—

13 (1) by striking ‘‘$361’’ in paragraph (1) and in14 serting ‘‘$365’’;

15 (2) by striking ‘‘$520’’ in paragraph (2) and in16 serting ‘‘$526’’;

17 (3) by striking ‘‘$675’’ in paragraph (3) and in18 serting ‘‘$683’’; and

19 (4) by striking ‘‘$675’’ and ‘‘$132’’ in paragraph

20 (4) and inserting ‘‘$683’’ and ‘‘$133’’, respectively.

21 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL DIC FOR DISABLED ADULT CHIL22 DREN.—Section 1314 is amended—

23 (1) by striking ‘‘$215’’ in subsection (a) and in24 serting ‘‘$217’’;
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1 (2) by striking ‘‘$361’’ in subsection (b) and in2 serting ‘‘$365’’; and

3 (3) by striking ‘‘$182’’ in subsection (c) and in4 serting ‘‘$184’’.

5 SEC. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE.

6 The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on

7 November 30, 1999.

Attest:

Secretary.
106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2280

AMENDMENT