(2) (A) The rate under paragraph (1) shall be increased by $246 in the case of the death of a veteran who at the time of death was in receipt of or was entitled to receive (or but for the receipt of retired pay or retirement pay was entitled to receive) compensation for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death. In determining the period of a veteran's disability for purposes of the preceding sentence, only periods in which the veteran was married to the surviving spouse shall be considered.
The bill says: by inserting "(A)" before "The rate"; and
(B) A veteran whom the Secretary determines died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis shall be treated as a veteran described in subparagraph (A) without regard for how long the veteran had such disease prior to death.
The bill says: by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
From the bill's official text on GovInfo and the U.S. Code, 2024 edition, which may not yet show changes made since.
What it does
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Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025
This bill extends increased dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouse of a veteran whom the Department of Veterans Affairs has determined died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) regardless of how long the veteran had such disease prior to death. Under current law, such compensation is paid for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death.
Under the bill, such extension of increased compensation applies retroactively to veterans who died from ALS on or after October 1, 2022.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in Senate, Feb 26, 2025).
Our plain-language breakdown, with what it means for you and the case for and against, is written once a bill starts to move.
What has happened
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Feb 26, 2025Introduced in SenateLibrary of Congress