Title: Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act
This bill makes certain benefits that are payable to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran payable to the veteran's children or dependent parents if the veteran does not have a surviving spouse.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7050 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7050

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
the laws relating to the administration of certain benefits payable to 
        survivors of deceased veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2022

 Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Ryan, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. 
 McKinley, Mr. Massie, Mr. C. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mr. Cole, Mr. 
 DesJarlais, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Gosar) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
the laws relating to the administration of certain benefits payable to 
        survivors of deceased veterans, 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 ``Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans 
Benefits Act''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF CERTAIN BENEFITS TO SURVIVORS OF DECEASED VETERANS 
              BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Payment of Benefits for Month of Death.--Section 5310 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``A surviving 
        spouse'' and inserting ``An eligible survivor'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``surviving spouse'' 
        both places it appears and inserting ``eligible survivor''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Eligible Survivor Defined.--In this section, the term 
`eligible survivor' means the living person first listed below:
            ``(1) The veteran's spouse.
            ``(2) The veteran's children (in equal shares).
            ``(3) The veteran's dependent parents (in equal shares).''.
    (b) Accrued Benefits.--Section 5121 of title 38, United States Code 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) The amount of the accrued benefit payable under subsection 
(a) on behalf on an individual is the total amount of the periodic 
monetary benefits (other than insurance and servicemen's indemnity) 
under laws administered by the Secretary to which the individual was 
entitled at death for the entire period of time for which the 
individual was entitled to, but did not receive, such benefits.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with 
respect to deaths that occur on or after that date.
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