Thanks to Congressman Ralph Abraham of Louisiana, disabled veterans may see an increase in benefits at the end of the year. Dr. Abraham’s HR 5588, the Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act of 2016 was signed into law this summer and takes effect on December 1, 2016.
What do you think of legislation aimed at increasing and expanding benefits for disabled veterans?
The bill quickly made its way through the House and Senate and was signed into law by the president in under a month. The bill itself is quite simple:
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2016, the rates of veterans’ disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.
Each such increase shall be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance [OASDI]) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
In short, each year legislation has to be drafted to approve an increase in cost of living allowance (COLA) for disabled veterans. The increase will match that of social security. While social security automatically increases each year as the cost of living does, the Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act does not have a stipulation for automatic adjustment.
To me, this seems to be an outdated way of doing things. If social security can automatically increase with the cost of living, then why doesn’t the Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act?
Abraham looked at this process and introduced HR 677, the American Heroes COLA Act. This bill would enable the veterans’ COLA adjustments to be automatic each year freeing up the House to work on other bills and saving veterans and their families the frustration of waiting to see what will happen with their pay each year. The House quickly passed this bill, but the Senate has not done anything with it.
For now, disabled veterans can plan their finances for the short term knowing the Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act of 2016 was signed into law.
They will have to wait for the politicians in Washington to decide if they will pass the American Heroes COLA Act and make it an automatic adjustment each year.
Note however, while the Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act of 2016 has been signed into law, it does not mean that an increase in pay is guaranteed.
The amount that disabled veterans may see as an increase will be the same increase as social security. The last time social security did not increase was in 2000.
It won’t be until the end of the year that the exact amount of an increase will be known. It will only be increased if there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
The compensation programs for disabled veterans were originally put into place to help relieve the financial burden disabled veterans face by not being able to earn wages due to injuries sustained during military service. The amount of benefits disabled veterans receive is based on the degree of disability they qualify for.
Abraham, a veteran of the Army Reserves and National Guard, has been working to get disabled veterans better benefits. These 2 bills are not his only accomplishments in regards to veterans’ issues since being elected to office.
He has also chaired the VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. He has worked toward getting disabled veterans the help they need when they need it and at locations convenient to them through the Veterans’ Choice Program. This program would make it easier for veterans who live in remote areas to seek medical treatment from doctors near them, rather than wait for an appointment at a VA facility.
Last year Abraham also cosponsored HR 1994, the VA Accountability Act. This bill passed the House but the Senate has yet to consider it. If the VA Accountability Act were to become law, the VA would become accountable for its actions. They would finally be able to fire or demote employees that have failed to do their job.
Thanks to Abraham, disabled veterans might be getting better benefits in the future.
I think it’s great!
So much money is being wasted by this Administration on making sure Syrian refugees are given everything, yet they look the other way when it comes to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Non-Veterans think they are “entitled” to everything…..they are not! Only Veterans who have sacrificed dearly are entitled to special consideration. The rest are wimps, pussies and cowards!! Lets see Oblackma put on some duce gear and get on the front-lines with an M-4. He’d crap his pants in a second.
well its a wonderful thought at least. i collect military disability. each month the amount of disability is deducted from my retirement pay…. given to the VA… who then turns around and issues me a check for the same amount that was subtracted from my retirement pay. in other words….. i wont get an extra cent at all. i will still get the same amount as i always have. buty 1 nice note…at least its tax free.
I’m all for adjusting the Veterans pay upward. Too many years go by before we retirees see a pay raise.
Is the bill going to give retirees the increases in pay, return to retiree dependants the ability to get dental work/vision care?
We had those benefits from the jump, then someone’s brain dreamed up that we didn’t need these coverages, we should be able to pay for them out of pocket!
Now we can’t even see the military doctors/dentist as dependants! We must use civilian doctors and express scripts to get our medicines. If we don’t use express scripts and have them mail the meds….we must pay retail with no reimbursement.
I think this is just a spoon of sugar though…more trying to hide the fact this country is rapidly heading for bankruptcy.
It really sounds good but I’m not sure the veterans will be any better off than they are now since nothing is guaranteed for veterans anymore, disabled or not.
It’s right. And it’s been to long in coming.
Finally what my family and many more need and deserve
Disabled Veterans only and their families? What about the other Veterans who returned home whole in body? All veterans should get an automatic COLA. They are not to be left behind and ignored. All veterans are in the same basket, Soldiers who fought to keep their country and others save from tyranny!
Go get a job! You served your country and you are healthy enough to go and work! you have the nerve sitting here asking for something you do not deserve. How about you use your GI Bill and go get a marketable skill.
Retired Military Veterans really need a Congressman like Ralph Abraham help on H.R. 333, seems like that Bill should be an easy fix. To see a Disabled Vet with just 3 years of service or less(Non Retiree), with the exact same disablity percentage (40% or Less) receive Disabiity Compensation and a 20 plus retired soldier just get and offset on his retired pay really seems kind of cruel. Thanks for your service on Veterans’ Compensation COLA Act of 2016, the Veterans’ Choice Program and your cosponsorship of VA Accountability Act. Louisiana surely didn’t waste Votes on you that’s for sure. Again Thank You Sir.
It should be increased,,our loved ones earned this as they spent 20 plus years serving our country Proudly.
I thank God for this. It is a blessing to all disabled veterans not just monetary but to use doctors in our,area then to drive 2 1/2 hours to our va.
We got 2 pay increases in 8 years for VA and SSD…what we did get was qsuat….McDonald’s wants $ 15 an hour. .corporate officers get into the millions a year in pay increase. .we are lucky to get a 1.5% pay increase.. we can’t live on this little pay increase with cost of everything else is on the rise!!!
Good for the Disabled Vets, they deserve it.
Great for Disabled Vets; They deserve it!
I am grateful for everything I receive but the amount of social sec and Vet benefits are far far short of the real world cola and price increases.
Disabled Veterans must have a increase automatically each year no matter what. Veterans disabled needs for the extra cost for them monthly.
Amen to Congressman Abraham! As a 100 percent disabled veteran, I salute you and your dedication to Veterans causes and programs. And, more importantly “looking out” for all my brothers and sisters in arms.
we are vets. retired disabled or regular war or cold. g.i bill or conv. 10 percent to 1oo percent. we are all the same and we each get something that the others don’t and we should not be like civilians and fight with each other. we all served and we all sacrificed and we should come above who gets what. we are a proud group and cilvilians look at these sites and must wonder about are hero status if we act like the public. do you all remember when we would of given our lifes for our fellow soldier, marine, airmen and sailors and we get into the world and worry about our pennies on a public site at that.we trusted the military with our lives and we can’t trust them to make the right decisions maybe not right away but eventually we will all be given what we need because god knows that all of us were willing to give all so please save the fighting arguing and bickering for the enemy.