Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act

The Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act addresses a gap in how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles pension payments when a veteran dies. Currently, if a veteran's pension has been approved but not yet paid at the time of death, the money can only go to the veteran's surviving spouse, children, or parents. If none of these family members claim the benefit within one year, the family receives only a reimbursement for funeral expenses, and the approved pension is essentially lost.

Under this bill, if the VA has already approved a pension for a veteran before their death, any unpaid pension funds would be distributed to survivors in a specific order: first to the spouse, then to children in equal shares, then to dependent parents in equal shares, and finally to the veteran's estate if no other beneficiaries exist. The bill includes a one-year deadline for filing a claim; if no application is filed within that year, the unpaid pension goes to the veteran's estate. This change would apply to veterans who die after the bill is enacted.