Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I, too, rise in support of H.R. 675, as amended, which serves to provide an increase in the benefit payments for our veterans, as well as for their families and survivors.
I thank the chairman and Ranking Member Brown for their help and their work on this important legislation.
Since 1976, Congress has consistently increased the rates of basic compensation for disabled veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation, DIC, for their survivors and dependents. This is in order to keep pace with inflation.
However, unlike Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, known commonly as COLAs, Congress must act each year to provide veterans with the benefit adjustments they deserve. This legislation will bring COLA increases for veterans to the same level as Social Security recipients for this year.
This action is very important in the short term, but I look forward to the House also considering H.R. 677, the American Heroes COLA Act of 2015, which I introduced, along with Chairman Abraham. This would eliminate the possibility of congressional gridlock ensnaring the yearly COLA adjustments by making the increases automatic, just like they are for Social Security.
I would like to highlight an additional provision included in H.R. 675 that will also help ensure our veterans receive the benefits they have earned in a more timely fashion. Title 3 of this legislation is the text of H.R. 1414, the Pay As You Rate Act, which I introduced earlier this year.
The VA pays veterans when their complete claim has been reviewed and processed. The Pay as You Rate Act would expedite the benefit claims process for veterans by requiring the VA to pay benefits to veterans as individual components of their claims are reviewed, rather than at the completion of the entire claim.
The average benefits claim for our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans contained over eight separate components. Each medical condition is individually adjudicated, but the veteran only begins receiving benefits when the entire claim has been processed.
The Pay as You Rate Act is a commonsense change that will help reduce the backlog and provide veteran families much-needed financial support. I am pleased it has been included as part of H.R. 675.
This legislation also includes H.R. 2139, introduced by Representative O'Rourke, which requires the VA to inform veterans of the expected turnaround for VA's various methods of filing a benefits claim. The intent of this legislation is to aid veterans as they determine the most appropriate manner for filing their benefits claim.
Lastly, included in this bill is H.R. 995, introduced by Representative Lynch. This legislation would honor our veterans by formalizing a Veterans Day moment of silence across the Nation.
Again, I thank the chairman and subcommittee Chairman Abraham for their work on behalf of our Nation's heroes, and I look forward to continuing to work with them in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that all our Nation's veterans are receiving the benefits they have earned and they deserve.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I simply urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 675, as amended.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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