An Act to provide increases in the monthly rates of compensation payable to certain veterans and their dependents
PL 83-695 (H.R.9020), enacted 08/28/1954

68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 696-AUG. 28, 1954 
915 
Public Law 695 
CHAPTER 1046 
AN ACT 
To provide increases in the monthly rates of comjiensation payable to certain 
veterans and their dependents. 
Atigust 28, 1954 
[H. R. 9020] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) all monthly 
wartime rates of compensation payable under laws administered by 
the Veterans' Administration for disability, including the special 
statutory aw'ards except as hereinafter provided, are hereby increased 
by 5 per centum: Provided, That such increases shall not apply to 
dependency allowances, subsistence allowances, or the special awards 
and allowances provided under subparagraphs (k) and (q), paragraph 
II, part I, Veterans Kegulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended, or the 
last paragraph of section 202 (3) and the penultimate paragraph of 
section 202 (7), World War Veterans' Act, 1924, as amended: Pro-
vided further, That in any case the rate of compensation, as increased 
herein, shall be further adjusted upward or downward to the nearest 
dollar. 
(b) In adjusting the rates of peacetime disability compensation pur-
suant to paragraph II, part II, Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), 
as amended, because of the increases provided in subsection (a), such 
rates shall be further adjusted upward or downward to the nearest 
dollar. 
(c) The maximum rate of compensation of $400 per month set forth 
in subparagraph (k), paragraph II, part I, Veterans Regulation 
Numbered 1 (a), as amended, is hereby increased to $420 per month. 
SEC. 2. The monthly rate of death compensation authorized under 
paragraph IV, part I, Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as 
amended, for a widow but no child is hereby increased from $75 to $87, 
and the rate of such compensation for a dependent mother or father is 
increased from $60 to $75, or if both are dependent, from $35 to $40 
each. 
SEO. 3. This Act shall take effect on the first day of the second 
calendar month following the date of its enactment. 
Approved August 28, 1954. 
V e t e r a n s 
and 
dependents. 
Compensation in-
crease. 
66 Stat. 295. 
38 u s e ch. 12A. 
66 Stat. 296. 
38 u s e 473, 480. 
62 Stat. 1219. 
38 u s e ch. 12A, 
66 Stat. 295. 
38 u s e ch. 12A. 
66 Stat. 90. 
38 u s e ch. 12A. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 696 
CHAPTER 1047 
AN ACT 
August 28, 1954 
[H. R. 9302] 
To permit retired members of the uniformed services to revoke elections made 
under the Uniformed Services Contingency Option Act of 1953 in certain cases 
where the elections were made because of mathematical errors or misinfor-
mation. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That retired membere . 
^^°^'^l^y 
of the uniformed services who have elected under section 3 (b) of options, 
the Uniformed Services Contingency Option Act of 1953 (Public Law eiectioM.**^°" °' 
239, Eighty-third Congress) to receive a reduced amount of retired 
67stat. 502. 
pay in order to provide an annuity under such public law may, within 
sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act, revoke such elections. 
A retired member may revoke an election under this Act only if he 
can establish to the satisfaction of the Secretary concerned that he 
made such election because he was misinformed as to his rights under 
the Uniformed Services Contingency Option Act of 1953 or because 
he made a substantial mathematical error in computing the cost of 
the benefits which he would derive under that Act and that such 
misinformation or error has resulted in undue hardship. 
The 
37 u s e 372(b). 
37 u s e 371 note.