Risch, King Introduce Bill to Correct Veteran Burial Benefits

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine) today introduced the Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act, a legislative fix to correct a disparity in funeral and burial benefits for veterans who die from service-connected disabilities.

"Our nation's veterans answered the call to serve and made incredible sacrifices for our freedoms," said Risch."My Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act ensures our veterans who are injured or wounded during their service are laid to rest with honor and dignity."

"Veterans who die as a result of their service to our nation deserve to be honored appropriately, and their families deserve our full support," said King. "Our Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act corrects an unintended disparity between service and non-service related deaths to even out the burial benefits for these veterans who served our country. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is the least we can do for these families."

In 2020, Congress passed legislation that increased burial benefits for non-service-connected deaths and tied them to inflation. As a result, the benefit amount for non-service-connected deaths has surpassed that for service-connected deaths, which is capped at $2,000.

The Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act corrects this imbalance by increasing service-connected benefits from $2,000 to $3,000 and tying them to the same inflation adjustment as the non-service-connected benefit.

The Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act is supported by the Idaho Division of Veteran Services, the VFW, Gold Star Spouses of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, the National Funeral Directors Association, and TAPS.

"Honoring those who served our great nation should always be a priority, especially when a Veteran passes from a service-connected illness or injury. This Bill ensures we continue to honor those Veterans and ease the financial burden placed on grieving families when it is time to lay their Veteran to rest," said Mark Tschampl, Director of Idaho Division of Veteran Services.

"Gold Star Spouses of America strongly supports legislation introduced by Senator Jim Risch to amend Title 38 of the United States Code to increase the burial and funeral benefit provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who die from service-connected disabilities. While no financial benefit can ever compensate for the loss of a service member or veteran, this legislation recognizes the responsibility our nation holds to care for the families left behind. Ensuring that those who died as a result of their service are honored with dignity and that their families are not burdened with preventable financial strain, is a matter of basic respect and gratitude," said Tamra Sipes, National President, Gold Star Spouses of America.?

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