IIB 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 570 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2013 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

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, and 

for other purposes. 


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HR 570 RFS 

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 ‘‘American Heroes 

5 COLA Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC ANNUAL INCREASE IN RATES OF DIS7 ABILITY COMPENSATION AND DEPENDENCY 

8 AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION. 

9 (a) INDEXING TO SOCIAL SECURITY INCREASES.— 

10 Section 5312 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 

11 by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

12 ‘‘(d)(1) Whenever there is an increase in benefit 

13 amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a result of a determination 

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

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

17 in benefit amounts, increase the dollar amounts in effect 

18 for the payment of disability compensation and depend19 ency and indemnity compensation by the Secretary, as 

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

21 immediately before the date of such increase in benefit 

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

23 by the same percentage as the percentage by which such 

24 benefit amounts are increased, but only if such percentage 

25 increase is calculated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics 


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HR 570 RFS 

1 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Cler2 ical Workers. 

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

4 paragraph (1) are the following: 

5 ‘‘(A) WARTIME DISABILITY COMPENSATION.— 

6 Each of the dollar amounts in effect under section 

7 1114 of this title. 

8 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DE9 PENDENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect 

10 under section 1115(1) of this title. 

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

12 amount in effect under section 1162 of this title. 

13 ‘‘(D) DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COM14 PENSATION TO SURVIVING SPOUSE.—Each of the 

15 dollar amounts in effect under subsections (a) 

16 through (d) of section 1311 of such title. 

17 ‘‘(E) DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COM18 PENSATION TO CHILDREN.—Each of the dollar 

19 amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and 1314 

20 of such 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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HR 570 RFS 

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 ‘‘(4) During the period beginning on the date of the 

6 enactment of this subsection and ending on September 30, 

7 2018, each dollar amount increased under paragraph (1), 

8 if not a whole dollar amount, shall be rounded to the next 

9 lower whole dollar amount. 

10 ‘‘(5) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may adjust 

11 administratively, consistent with the increases made under 

12 subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation pay13 able to persons under section 10 of Public Law 85–857 

14 (72 Stat. 1263) who have not received compensation 

15 under chapter 11 of this title.’’. 

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

17 5312 of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub18 section (a) of this section, shall take effect on December 

19 1, 2014. 

20 SEC. 3. INCREASE IN RATE OF SPECIAL MONTHLY COM21 PENSATION FOR SEVERELY INJURED VET22 ERANS. 

23 (a) INCREASE.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1114(r) of title 38, 

25 United States Code, is amended— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$2,002’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘$3,163’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$2,983’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘$4,713’’. 

5 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

6 by paragraph (1) shall take effect on December 1, 

7 2014. 

8 (b) TEMPORARY RATES.—During the period begin9 ning on December 1, 2014, and ending on September 30, 

10 2018, section 1114(r) of title 38, United States Code, as 

11 amended by subsection (a), shall be applied— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), by substituting ‘‘$2,742’’ 

13 for ‘‘$3,163’’; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (2), by substituting ‘‘$4085’’ 

15 for ‘‘$4,713’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2013. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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