Bill would boost veterans' disability compensation to adjust for rising costs of living

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, this week introduced bipartisan legislation to increase veterans’ disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 (S.1493) would increase the rates of VA disability compensation, dependency compensation for surviving children and spouses, and the clothing allowance for veterans based on rising costs of living.

“In a world of rising living costs, our veterans should be compensated accordingly,” said Isakson. “Our men and women in uniform have sacrificed greatly, and we must ensure that veterans with service-related injuries and their families receive the necessary benefits they have fought for and so rightly deserve.”

This cost-of-living adjustment, which is equal to the amount of the adjustment given to Social Security recipients, is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index on a yearly basis. The cost-of-living adjustment for veterans would go into effect on December 1, 2015.

Original co-sponsors of the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 include the ranking Democrat on the Senate VA committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., along with the other committee members: Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., John Boozman, R-Ark., Dean Heller, R-Nev., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Patty Murray, D-Wash., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jon Tester, D-Mont., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Joe Manchin, D-W.V