Caring for Survivors Act of 2025

Last action on Mar 11, 2025Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

Summary

The Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 would increase the monthly dependency and indemnity compensation payments made by the Department of Veterans Affairs to surviving spouses of veterans. These payments currently go to eligible survivors of service members and veterans who died from service-connected conditions or were totally disabled by service-connected disabilities.

If enacted, the bill would make two key changes to eligibility. First, it would reduce from 10 years to 5 years the period that a veteran must have been rated as totally disabled due to a service-connected condition for their survivor to qualify for benefits. Second, it would specify payment amounts for survivors of veterans who were rated totally disabled for less than 10 years before death. These changes would potentially expand the number of surviving spouses eligible to receive these monthly payments.

The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which held hearings on it in March 2025. It has not yet been voted on by the full Senate.

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

Mar 11, 2025

HearingSenateMeeting

Mar 11, 2025 · 14:30

Hearings to examine S.124, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for disciplinary procedures for supervisors and managers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and to modify the procedures of personnel actions against employees of the Department, S.201, to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, S.275, to improve the provision of care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.410, to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for surviving spouses, S.478, to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting certain information to the Department of Justice for use by the national instant criminal background check system, S.607, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an integrated project team to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.610, to expand the VetSuccess on Campus program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.611, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and to expand eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation paid to certain survivors of certain veterans, S.654, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, S.702, to require a study on the quality of care difference between mental health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department providers, S.787, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a commission to review operations at the Veterans Health Administration and submit to Congress reports with respect to that review, and for other programs, S.831, to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve telephone communication by the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.892, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary, an original bill entitled, "Veterans' Claims Act of 2025", and an original bill entitled, "Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act".

Committee

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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Summary

The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing on March 11, 2025 to examine 12 bills aimed at improving Department of Veterans Affairs operations and services. The bills covered a broad range of veterans' issues, including VA employee accountability, fraud reimbursement, mental health care quality, healthcare access, telephone communications, and benefits for survivors and specific veteran populations. Key bills examined included S.124, the Restore VA Accountability Act, which would modify disciplinary procedures for VA supervisors and managers while protecting whistleblowers; S.892, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, which would expedite reimbursement to veterans whose benefits were misused by fiduciaries; S.275, the Veterans' ACCESS Act, which would establish standardized eligibility standards for community care and require the VA to notify veterans of their eligibility within two business days; S.702, which would require a study comparing mental health care quality between VA and non-VA providers; and S.831, the REP VA Act, which would require the VA to use a single telephone number and proper caller identification for outgoing calls to veterans. The hearing also examined bills addressing cancer studies for military aircrew, expanding the VetSuccess on Campus program, improving survivor benefits, protecting veterans' privacy regarding background checks, improving appointment scheduling, establishing an external provider scheduling program, and creating a commission to review Veterans Health Administration operations. The committee heard testimony from VA officials and representatives of veterans service organizations, including the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The hearing represents the committee's initial consideration of these proposals. While the hearing allows the committee to gather information and assess the bills' merits, it does not guarantee that any of the legislation will advance. The committee may choose to mark up, amend, or reject any of these bills in subsequent proceedings.

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Caring for Survivors Act of 2025

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Caring for Survivors Act of 2025

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Lifecycle of the Bill

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Sponsors & Co-sponsors (8)

Cosponsors (7)

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Related Legislation (2)

Related Legislation (2)

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Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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