Sponsors (15)
The bill expands and protects benefits and loan access for veterans, survivors, and some Reserve/Guard members—improving income support and home‑loan eligibility—while increasing near‑term federal costs, extending existing policy settings through 2036, and creating implementation, notification, and fee burdens for some beneficiaries.
Veterans who need daily assistance (aid-and-attendance) will receive an extra $833.33 per month beginning Dec. 1, 2026, increasing their household income and ability to pay for care.
Survivors receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) will get automatic cost-of-living adjustments tied to Social Security plus an added 1.0 percentage point on the first increase, protecting survivor benefits against inflation in the near term.
More Reserve and National Guard members (post‑9/11 service) and people who complete at least 14 days of specified active duty plus training become eligible for VA‑guaranteed home loans, expanding homeownership access for military personnel.
The bill adds or delays offsets for recurring benefit changes (aid-and-attendance increases, DIC indexing, and preserved fee references), increasing federal spending or deferring revenues and creating greater budgetary pressure on taxpayers and future appropriations.
Some new home‑loan users (those eligible only under the new 14‑day pathway) will face a higher upfront VA loan fee—an added 1.00 percentage point—which raises out‑of‑pocket costs for those borrowers.
Expanding retroactive eligibility for loans and other changes is likely to increase VA administrative workload and could slow loan approvals and entitlement determinations, delaying benefits for veterans.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Adds an $833.33 monthly aid-and-attendance supplement, alters DIC COLA adjustments, extends VA dates to 9/30/2036, and expands active-duty service to widen VA home loan eligibility with an added loan fee for trainee borrowers.
Provides new and increased veterans benefits, extends certain VA program dates, and broadens who counts as "active duty" for VA home loan eligibility. It adds a supplemental monthly allowance for veterans receiving aid-and-attendance, changes how certain DIC amounts are automatically increased tied to Social Security COLAs (with an added 1.0 percentage point adjustment for the first two increases), extends multiple statutory dates to September 30, 2036, and expands VA home loan eligibility to include additional Reserve and National Guard service and new trainees (with an added loan fee and notification requirements).
Official title: Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026
Introduced November 17, 2025 by Tom Barrett · Last progress June 2, 2026