Sponsors (12)
The bill permanently opens the door for post‑9/11 survivors to claim benefits whenever they learn of eligibility—delivering significant financial relief for affected families—while increasing federal costs, administrative burdens, and the need for outreach and fraud prevention.
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 prior deadlines so families who discover eligibility years later can access federal payments and get greater financial relief and certainty.
Clarifying that late survivor claims are not time-barred reduces administrative barriers and the potential for litigation over denied late claims, simplifying processing and legal clarity for governments and claimants.
Allowing claims at any time could increase federal payouts and administrative costs, raising expenses for taxpayers and pressure on the federal budget.
Accepting very old claims complicates record-keeping and verification, slowing processing and increasing the risk of fraud or erroneous payments for benefits administrators and claimants.
The change applies only to claims filed after enactment, so survivors who are unaware of the new rule may still miss benefits unless outreach succeeds, creating uneven access across affected families.
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 Sept 11, 2001 from any filing time limit.
Makes survivor claims for certain post-9/11 military line-of-duty deaths exempt from any statute of limitations. Survivors filing claims for benefits based on the death of an Armed Forces member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001 may file at any time for the covered benefit claim(s) specified in existing law; the change applies to claims filed on or after the bill’s 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