Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 1998’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT
Sec. 101. Increase in rates of disability compensation and dependency and in-
demnity compensation.
TITLE II—EDUCATION BENEFITS
Sec. 201. Calculation of reporting fee based on total veteran enrollment during
a calendar year.
Sec. 202. Election of advance payment of work-study allowance.
Sec. 203. Alternative to twelve semester hour equivalency requirement.
Sec. 204. Medical evidence for flight training requirements.
Sec. 205. Waiver of wage increase and minimum payment rate requirements for
government job training program approval.
Sec. 206. Expansion of education outreach services.
Sec. 207. Information on minimum requirements for education benefits for
members of the Armed Forces discharged early from duty for
the convenience of the Government.
TITLE III—COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS
Subtitle A—Administrative Provisions Relating to the Court
Sec. 301. Continuation in office of judges pending confirmation for second
term.
Sec. 302. Authority to prescribe rules and regulations.
Subtitle B—Retirement-Related Provisions
Sec. 311. Recall of retired judges.
Sec. 312. Calculation of years of service as a judge.
Sec. 313. Judges’ retired pay.
Sec. 314. Exemption of retirement fund from sequestration orders.
Sec. 315. Limitation on activities of retired judges.
Sec. 316. Early retirement authority for current judges in order to provide for
staggered terms of judges.
Sec. 317. Adjustments for survivor annuities.
Sec. 318. Reports on retirement program modifications.
Subtitle C—Renaming of Court
Sec. 321. Renaming of the Court of Veterans Appeals.
Sec. 322. Conforming amendments.
Sec. 323. Effective Date.
TITLE IV—OTHER MATTERS
Sec. 401. Applicability of procurement law to certain contracts of Department
of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 402. Permanent eligibility of members of Selected Reserve for veterans
housing loans.
Sec. 403. Furnishing of burial flags for deceased members and former members
of the Selected Reserve.
Sec. 404. State cemetery grants program.
Sec. 405. Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialists.
Sec. 406. Permanent authority to use for operating expenses of Department of
Veterans Affairs medical facilities amounts available by reason
of the limitation on pension for veterans receiving nursing
home care.
Sec. 407. Members of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
Sec. 408. National Service Life Insurance program.
Sec. 409. Technical amendments.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—COMPENSATION COST-
OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT
SEC. 101. INCREASE IN RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSA-
TION AND DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY
COMPENSATION.
(a) RATE ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall, effective on December 1, 1998, increase the
dollar amounts in effect for the payment of disability com-
pensation and dependency and indemnity compensation by
the Secretary, as specified in subsection (b).
(b) AMOUNTS
TO
BE
INCREASED.—The dollar
amounts to be increased pursuant to subsection (a) are
the following:
(1) 
COMPENSATION.—Each 
of 
the 
dollar
amounts in effect under section 1114 of title 38,
United States Code.
(2) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR DEPEND-
ENTS.—Each of the dollar amounts in effect under
sections 1115(1) of such title.
(3) 
CLOTHING
ALLOWANCE.—The 
dollar
amount in effect under section 1162 of such title.
(4) NEW DIC RATES.—The dollar amounts in
effect under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section
1311(a) of such title.
(5) OLD
DIC
RATES.—Each of the dollar
amounts in effect under section 1311(a)(3) of such
title.
(6) ADDITIONAL
DIC
FOR
DISABILITY.—The
dollar amounts in effect under sections 1311(c) and
1311(d) of such title.
(7) DIC FOR
DEPENDENT
CHILDREN.—The
dollar amounts in effect under sections 1313(a) and
1314 of such title.
(c) DETERMINATION
OF INCREASE.—(1) The in-
crease under subsection (a) shall be made in the dollar
amounts specified in subsection (b) as in effect on Novem-
ber 30, 1998.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), each such
amount shall be increased by the same percentage as the
percentage by which benefit amounts payable under title
II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) are
increased effective December 1, 1998, as a result of a de-
termination under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
415(i)).
(3) Each dollar amount increased pursuant to para-
graph (2) shall, if not a whole dollar amount, be rounded
down to the next lower whole dollar amount.
(d) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may adjust ad-
ministratively, consistent with the increases made under
subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation pay-
able to persons within the purview of section 10 of Public
Law 85–857 (72 Stat. 1263) who are not in receipt of
compensation payable pursuant to chapter 11 of title 38,
United States Code.
(e) PUBLICATION
OF ADJUSTED RATES.—At the
same time as the matters specified in section 215(i)(2)(D)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)(D)) are
required to be published by reason of a determination
made under section 215(i) of such Act during fiscal year
1998, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish in
the Federal Register the amounts specified in subsection
(b), as increased pursuant to subsection (a).
TITLE II—EDUCATION BENEFITS
SEC. 201. CALCULATION OF REPORTING FEE BASED ON
TOTAL VETERAN ENROLLMENT DURING A
CALENDAR YEAR.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The second sentence of section
3684(c) is amended by striking ‘‘, on October 31’’ and
all that follows through the period and inserting ‘‘during
the calender year.’’.
(b) FUNDING.—Section 3684(c), as amended by sub-
section (a), is further amended by adding at the end the
following new sentence: ‘‘The reporting fee payable under
this subsection shall be paid from amounts appropriated
for readjustment benefits.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply with respect to calendar years be-
ginning after December 31, 1998.
SEC. 202. ELECTION OF ADVANCE PAYMENT OF WORK-
STUDY ALLOWANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The third sentence of section
3485(a)(1) is amended by striking ‘‘An individual shall be
paid in advance’’ and inserting ‘‘An individual may elect,