To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the survivors of former prisoners of war who died on or before September 30, 1999, under the same eligibility conditions as apply to payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the survivors of former prisoners of war who die after that date.

H.R. 2878 is a bill designed to expand eligibility for survivor benefits to the families of former prisoners of war (POWs). Under the law at the time of the bill's introduction, the Department of Veterans Affairs only provided Dependency and Indemnity Compensation to survivors of totally disabled former POWs if the veteran died after September 30, 1999. This legislation would remove that specific date restriction, allowing survivors of former POWs who died on or before that date to receive the same financial benefits. The practical impact would be to ensure that all qualifying survivors of former prisoners of war are treated equally, regardless of when their spouse passed away.