READ THE BILL
On October 19, 2017,
Senator Jon Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, introduced S. 1990, the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
Improvement Act of 2017.
This bill would increase dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for surviving dependents and would lower the threshold of eligibility to allow certain survivors to receive this benefit who currently do not meet the requirements. This measure would:
This bill would increase dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for surviving dependents and would lower the threshold of eligibility to allow certain survivors to receive this benefit who currently do not meet the requirements. This measure would:
Increases
DIC so that the base rate is equal to 55 percent of the rate of compensation
paid to a totally disabled veteran, making it more equitable with rates
provided to federal civilian employee survivors.
Ease the 10-year rule for eligibility and
replace it with a graduated scale of benefits that begins after 5 years and
increases by percentage until reaching the full amount at the 10 year mark. If
a veteran is rated as totally disabled for five years and dies as a result of a
non-service-connected cause, a survivor would be entitled to 50 percent of
total DIC benefits. This scale continues until the 10-year threshold and the
maximum DIC amount is awarded.
Reduce the age allowed for a surviving
spouse to remarry and maintain their benefits from 57 to 55, consistent with
other Federal survivor benefit programs.
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