Sponsors (5)
Recalculates the monthly Medal of Honor special pension by tying it to VA compensation rates, limits increases to once per calendar year, and extends a VA statutory date to Jan 31, 2033.
The bill increases and ties Medal of Honor pensions to VA compensation and temporarily extends certain VA protections—providing higher, more consistently adjusted benefits and administrative breathing room for veterans, at the cost of modestly higher federal spending, potential VA budget trade-offs, and reduced flexibility in how increases are applied.
Medal of Honor recipients would receive a higher special monthly pension tied to VA compensation rates, increasing their income and providing more stable, inflation-linked support (also raises public recognition/support for these veterans).
Aligns the Medal of Honor pension with the broader VA compensation structure so benefits automatically track §1114 changes, simplifying adjustments and ensuring consistency with other VA payments.
Extends the VA benefit eligibility/protections under 38 U.S.C. §5503(d)(7) by about 14 months (to Jan 31, 2033), maintaining benefits for affected veterans for an extended period.
Taxpayers would face higher federal spending to fund the increased pensions and the extended benefit period, creating additional budgetary costs.
If the increase is not separately budgeted, the VA may need to reallocate existing resources, forcing trade-offs that could reduce funding for other veterans' programs or services.
Tying the Medal of Honor pension to the §1114 schedule limits flexibility: recipients may miss additional mid‑year increases and, over time, could receive smaller boosts than they might under a higher fixed statutory rate.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Raises the monthly special pension paid to living Medal of Honor recipients by tying the benefit to the monthly compensation rate for a veteran without dependents under current law and increasing it to the next intermediate rate. It also bars more than one cost-of-living-type increase to that special pension in any calendar year and extends a separate VA date in 38 U.S.C. §5503(d)(7) from November 30, 2031 to January 31, 2033. The bill changes how the Medal of Honor special pension is calculated and lengthens the time window for an existing VA provision, affecting Medal of Honor recipients and related VA benefit administration. No new appropriations language is included in the text; it amends existing statutory benefit formulas and timelines.
Official title: To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the rate of the special pension payable to Medal of Honor recipients, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 23, 2025 by Troy E. Nehls · Last progress December 1, 2025