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 sur-
vivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as ‘‘Veterans’ Disability Com-
pensation Automatic COLA Act ’’. 
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SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC ANNUAL INCREASE IN RATES OF DIS-
ABILITY COMPENSATION AND DEPENDENCY 
AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION. 
(a) INDEXING TO SOCIAL SECURITY INCREASES.— 
Section 5312 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) COMPENSATION
AND
DIC RATE
ADJUST-
MENTS.—(1) Whenever there is an increase in benefit 
amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) as a result of a determination 
made under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)), 
the Secretary shall, effective on the date of such increase 
in benefit amounts, increase the dollar amounts in effect 
for the payment of disability compensation and depend-
ency and indemnity compensation by the Secretary, as 
specified in paragraph (2), as such amounts were in effect 
immediately before the date of such increase in benefit 
amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act, 
by the same percentage as the percentage by which such 
benefit amounts are increased. 
‘‘(2) The dollar amounts to be increased pursuant to 
paragraph (1) are the following: 
‘‘(A) COMPENSATION.—Each of the dollar 
amounts in effect under section 1114 of this title. 
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‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
COMPENSATION
FOR
DE-
PENDENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect 
under section 1115(1) of this title. 
‘‘(C) 
CLOTHING
ALLOWANCE.—The 
dollar 
amount in effect under section 1162 of this title. 
‘‘(D) NEW DIC RATES.—The dollar amounts in 
effect under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 
1311(a) of this title. 
‘‘(E) OLD
DIC
RATES.—Each of the dollar 
amounts in effect under section 1311(a)(3) of this 
title. 
‘‘(F) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES 
WITH MINOR CHILDREN.—The dollar amount in ef-
fect under section 1311(b) of this title. 
‘‘(G) ADDITIONAL DIC FOR DISABILITY.—The 
dollar amounts in effect under sections 1311(c) and 
1311(d) of this title. 
‘‘(H) DIC
FOR
DEPENDENT
CHILDREN.—The 
dollar amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and 
1314 of this title. 
‘‘(3) Whenever there is an increase under paragraph 
(1) in amounts in effect for the payment of disability com-
pensation and dependency and indemnity compensation, 
the Secretary shall publish such amounts, as increased 
pursuant to such paragraph, in the Federal Register at 
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the same time as the material required by section 
215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
415(i)(2)(D)) is published by reason of a determination 
under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)).’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (d) of section 
5312 of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub-
section (a), shall take effect on January 1, 2007. 
Æ 
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