Congress raises Medal of Honor pensions, recognizing heroism with modest benefit increase
H.R. 695 — Medal of Honor Act · Filed by Troy Nehls (R-TX) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 23, 2025 · Signed
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What it does
This bill increases the monthly special pension paid to living Medal of Honor recipients by linking it to the highest rate of disability compensation for veterans without dependents, adjusted annually. It also extends a limit on pension payments to January 31, 2033. The bill recognizes Medal of Honor recipients' extraordinary service with a substantial raise to their existing pension benefit.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative purpose is to increase pension payments to Medal of Honor recipients by tying the benefit to an existing disability-compensation formula. This is a straightforward, transparent increase to a specific veteran population.
What the text implies
- The annual adjustment mechanism (linking to disability-compensation rates) means Medal of Honor pensions will rise automatically with cost-of-living adjustments, removing the need for future legislative action to maintain purchasing power.
- Section 5503(7) extension to 2033 appears to extend a limit on pension payments; the bill text is truncated, so the full scope of this provision cannot be assessed from the available text.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Medal of Honor recipients (direct pension increase)