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House hearing spotlights push to raise survivor and catastrophic‑injury benefits — debate centers on proposed VA home‑loan fee offset
Summary
Witnesses and lawmakers largely supported increases to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) and special monthly compensation (SMC) for catastrophically injured veterans and survivors in HR 6047, but sharp disagreement emerged over a proposed offset that would impose VA home‑loan funding fees on many disabled veterans for second and subsequent loans.
Chairman Boss opened the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing by introducing HR 6047, the Sherry Briley and Eric Edmondson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, saying the measure would raise dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) by an additional 1 percentage point each year for five years on top of annual cost‑of‑living adjustments and increase certain special monthly compensation (SMC) rates for the most severely disabled.
The bill’s supporters said the increases are long overdue. Sherry Briley, the surviving spouse for Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donovan Lee Briley, testified that current DIC — which she said pays $1,653 a month — has not kept pace with housing and other costs and that roughly half a million survivors rely on the benefit. Ed Edmondson, father and caregiver to Sergeant Eric Edmondson, described two decades of round‑the‑clock care and urged members to provide a ‘‘lifeline’’ for families providing sustained caregiving.
Paralyzed Veterans of America and other veterans service organizations also endorsed higher baseline SMC and DIC, saying catastrophic…
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