Sponsors (12)
The bill removes filing deadlines so survivors of service members killed on/after Sept. 11, 2001 can claim benefits at any time—expanding access and financial relief for families—but it raises federal costs, administrative burden, and verification challenges and may still leave some eligible survivors unaware of the change.
Survivors of service members who died in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001 can file for survivor benefits at any time, removing previous deadlines that barred late claims.
Families (survivors and parents) who discover eligible benefits years after a death can receive federal payments they otherwise might have missed, providing increased financial relief and certainty.
State and local administrators and the federal government face fewer administrative barriers and less litigation over denied late claims because the law clarifies such claims are not time‑barred.
Taxpayers may face increased federal payouts and higher administrative costs because removing the time limit could expand the number of payable claims.
Allowing very old claims complicates record‑keeping and verification, which could slow processing and increase the risk of fraud or erroneous payments.
Because the change only applies to claims filed after enactment, survivors who remain unaware of the new rule may still miss benefits, producing uneven access.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts survivor benefit claims for Armed Forces members who died in the line of duty on/after 9/11/2001 from any statute of limitations for claims against the U.S., for claims filed after enactment.
Makes claims by survivors of Armed Forces members who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001 exempt from any time limit for filing claims for survivor benefits against the United States. The exemption applies to claims filed on or after the law’s enactment date. This change expands the list of claims that have no statute of limitations, specifically protecting post‑9/11 military survivors seeking the described survivor benefits and allowing them to file regardless of when the death occurred (so long as the filing is on or after enactment).
Official title: To remove the six-year statute of limitations on certain claims against the United States Government by survivors of members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001.
Introduced May 20, 2025 by Jared Golden · Last progress May 20, 2025