| 1 | 1 | | II |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION S. 274 |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | laws relating to the payment of certain benefits administered by the |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Secretary of Veterans Affairs that are affected by death, and for other |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | purposes. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | JANUARY28, 2025 |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Mr. D |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | AINES(for himself and Mr. KIM) introduced the following bill; which |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | A BILL |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | improvements to laws relating to the payment of certain |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Af- |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | fairs that are affected by death, and for other purposes. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Next of Kin Collections 4 |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Protection Act of 2025’’. 5 |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:57 Feb 26, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S274.IS S274 |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | rfrederick on LAP8M3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | •S 274 IS |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | SEC. 2. PAYMENT BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 1 |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | OF CERTAIN BENEFITS AFFECTED BY DEATH. 2 |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (a) E |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | FFECTIVEDATE OFCERTAINREDUCTIONS AND 3 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | D |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | ISCONTINUANCES OF COMPENSATION, DEPENDENCY 4 |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | ANDINDEMNITYCOMPENSATION, ANDPENSIONUNDER 5 |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | L |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | AWSADMINISTERED BYSECRETARY OFVETERANSAF-6 |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | FAIRS.— 7 |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (1) I |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | N GENERAL.—Section 5112(b) of title 38, 8 |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | United States Code, is amended— 9 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(except 10 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | in the case of a pension under an existing rat-11 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | ing or decision),’’ after ‘‘death of a payee’’; 12 |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 13 |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | through (10) as paragraphs (4) through (11), 14 |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | respectively; and 15 |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | (C) by inserting, after paragraph (2), the 16 |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | following new paragraph (3): 17 |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | ‘‘(3) by reason of death of a payee in the case 18 |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | of a pension under an existing rating or decision, 19 |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | shall be the last day of the month in which such 20 |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | death occurs;’’. 21 |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | (2) C |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | ONFORMING AMENDMENT .—Section 22 |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 1832(b)(4) of such title is amended by striking 23 |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | ‘‘paragraphs (1), (6), (9), and (10)’’ and inserting 24 |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | ‘‘paragraphs (1), (7), (10), and (11)’’. 25 |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:50 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S274.IS S274 |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | rfrederick on LAP8M3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | •S 274 IS |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | (b) PAYMENT OF BENEFITS FOR MONTH OF 1 |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | D |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | EATH.—Section 5310(b) of title 38, United States Code, 2 |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | is amended by inserting ‘‘, or in the case of a payment 3 |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | for the month of the death of a payee under section 4 |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | 5112(b)(2) of this title,’’ before ‘‘an amount equal’’. 5 |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | (c) E |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | FFECTIVEDATE.—The amendments to title 38, 6 |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | United States Code, made by this section shall apply with 7 |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | respect to a payment of a benefit affected by a death that 8 |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | occurs on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 9 |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | Æ |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:50 Feb 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S274.IS S274 |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | rfrederick on LAP8M3WLY3PROD with BILLS |
|---|