I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 627

To amend title 38, United States Code, to suspend for five years the authority 

of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the copayment amount 

in effect for medication furnished by the Secretary on an outpatient 

basis for the treatment of non-service-connected disabilities and to provide an increase in the maximum annual rates of pension payable to 

surviving spouses of veterans of a period of war, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 5, 2003

Mr. STRICKLAND (for himself, Mr. BERRY, Mr. BACA, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, 

Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. INSLEE, Mrs. JONES of 

Ohio, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. PAUL, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SANDLIN, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. 

SERRANO, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. NEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, 

Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MICA, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. FROST, 

Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. 

CAPUANO, and Mr. COSTELLO) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to suspend for five 

years the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

to increase the copayment amount in effect for medication furnished by the Secretary on an outpatient basis 

for the treatment of non-service-connected disabilities 

and to provide an increase in the maximum annual rates 
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of pension payable to surviving spouses of veterans of 

a period of war, 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 ‘‘Veterans’ Prescription 

5 Drug and Surviving Spouses Assistance Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SUSPENSION OF AUTHORITY TO INCREASE COPAY7 MENT AMOUNT. 

8 Section 1722A(d) of title 38, United States Code, is 

9 amended—

10 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(d)’’; and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may not exercise the authority 

13 provided by subsection (b)(1) during the five-year period 

14 beginning on the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 

15 and any increase before that date in the copayment 

16 amount in effect under subsection (a) shall not be in effect 

17 during that five-year period.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM ANNUAL RATES OF PEN19 SION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES OF VETERANS 

20 OF A PERIOD OF WAR. 

21 (a) INCREASE.—Section 1541 of title 38, United 

22 States Code, is amended—
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1 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘as increased’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘as increased under subsection (f), 

3 and as further increased’’; 

4 (2) by redesignating subsections (f), (g), and 

5 (h) as subsections (g), (h), and (i), respectively; and 

6 (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol7 lowing new subsection (f): 

8 ‘‘(f)(1) Effective for months after November of the 

9 year of the enactment of this subsection, the annual rate 

10 of pension payable to a surviving spouse under a provision 

11 referred to in paragraph (2) shall be increased for any 

12 year by the amount equal to the difference between—

13 ‘‘(A) the current poverty line (as that term is 

14 defined in section 673(2) of the Community Services 

15 Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) for that year 

16 for a one-person family unit in the 48 contiguous 

17 States and the District of Columbia; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the annual rate of pension in effect under 

19 subsection (b) in November of that year. 

20 ‘‘(2) A provision referred to in this paragraph is any 

21 of the following provisions of this section: 

22 ‘‘(A) Subsection (b). 

23 ‘‘(B) The first sentence of subsection (c). 

24 ‘‘(C) Subsection (d)(1). 

25 ‘‘(D) The first sentence of subsection (d)(2). 
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1 ‘‘(E) The first sentence of subsection (e)(1).’’. 

2 (b) DISREGARD OF INCREASED AMOUNT FOR PUR3 POSES OF MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY.—Section 1902(r)(1) of 

4 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(r)(1)) is amend5 ed by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 

6 ‘‘(C) In determining for purposes of this title the in7 come of a surviving spouse of a veteran who receives a 

8 monthly pension under section 1541 of title 38, United 

9 States Code, such income shall not include any amount 

10 attributable to the application of subsection (f) of that sec11 tion.’’.

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