Jack Bergman
01/09/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/09/2025 12:45
Bergman Bill Honoring U.P. Veteran, Gerald Elliot, Signed into Law
Last week, Rep. Jack Bergman's bill, "Gerald's Law," was officially signed into law as a part of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, closing a loophole that denies certain terminally ill Veterans their VA burial allowance if they do not pass away at a VA facility.
The idea for this legislation was brought to Rep. Bergman by Denise Formolo, the Veterans Service Officer for Dickinson County, after a constituent Veteran named Gerald "Jerry" Elliott and his surviving family were subject to this terrible situation.
Under previous law, the "Non-Service Connected Burial and Plot" benefit from the VA covered approximately $800 of burial and funeral expenses for the surviving family of a Veteran - only if they were hospitalized at the VA at their time of death. Forcing a Veteran to give up their benefit if they wish to pass away in the comfort of their own home and surrounded by loved ones is wrongful, and something that Rep. Bergman was determined to correct.
Bergman's bill will now expand eligibility for the VA benefit, applying the burial allowance to terminally ill Veterans that were discharged from receiving care at a VA hospital or nursing home to pass comfortably at home under hospice care.
Rep. Jack Bergman stated, "Veterans should not have to choose between a benefit they're rightfully owed and the dignity of passing away at home. Those who have sacrificed for our Nation shouldn't have to sacrifice their surviving family's burial benefit for spending their final days in the comfort of their homes. I'm glad to see this commonsense bill has officially become law, ensuring no Veteran will ever have to make that difficult choice again."
Read more about this win for Veterans in the Detroit News here.
The idea for this legislation was brought to Rep. Bergman by Denise Formolo, the Veterans Service Officer for Dickinson County, after a constituent Veteran named Gerald "Jerry" Elliott and his surviving family were subject to this terrible situation.
Under previous law, the "Non-Service Connected Burial and Plot" benefit from the VA covered approximately $800 of burial and funeral expenses for the surviving family of a Veteran - only if they were hospitalized at the VA at their time of death. Forcing a Veteran to give up their benefit if they wish to pass away in the comfort of their own home and surrounded by loved ones is wrongful, and something that Rep. Bergman was determined to correct.
Bergman's bill will now expand eligibility for the VA benefit, applying the burial allowance to terminally ill Veterans that were discharged from receiving care at a VA hospital or nursing home to pass comfortably at home under hospice care.
Rep. Jack Bergman stated, "Veterans should not have to choose between a benefit they're rightfully owed and the dignity of passing away at home. Those who have sacrificed for our Nation shouldn't have to sacrifice their surviving family's burial benefit for spending their final days in the comfort of their homes. I'm glad to see this commonsense bill has officially become law, ensuring no Veteran will ever have to make that difficult choice again."
Read more about this win for Veterans in the Detroit News here.