Title: Ensuring Survivors Benefits during COVID–19 Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Ensuring Survivors Benefits during COVID-19 Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to get a medical opinion to determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or contributory cause of death in situations where the death certificate of a veteran with a service-connected disability who has filed a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (1) identifies COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) as the principal or contributory cause of death, and (2) does not clearly identify the service-connected disability as the principal or contributory cause of death.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8484 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8484

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure medical opinions 
for veterans with service-connected disabilities who die from COVID-19 
  to determine whether their service-connected disabilities were the 
   principal or contributory cases of death, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2020

  Mr. Davidson of Ohio (for himself, Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. Hudson, Mrs. 
  Trahan, Ms. Gabbard, and Mr. Walker) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure medical opinions 
for veterans with service-connected disabilities who die from COVID-19 
  to determine whether their service-connected disabilities were the 
   principal or contributory cases of death, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Survivors Benefits during 
COVID-19 Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. MEDICAL OPINIONS FOR CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED 
              DISABILITIES WHO DIE OF COVID-19.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall secure a medical opinion to 
determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or 
contributory cause of death of a veteran if each of the following 
criteria apply with respect to such death:
            (1) The veteran had one or more service-connected 
        disabilities at the time of death.
            (2) The death certificate--
                    (A) identifies Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 
                as the principal or contributory cause of death; and
                    (B) does not clearly identify any of the service-
                connected disabilities as the principal or contributory 
                cause of death.
            (3) An individual has filed a claim for benefits under 
        chapter 13 of title 38, United States Code.
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