Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
Latest action · Oct 8, 2021 Became Public Law No: 117-45.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 3, 2021
- Passed SenateJul 21, 2021
- Passed HouseSep 20, 2021
- To the PresidentSep 27, 2021
- Became lawOct 8, 2021Public Law 117-45
Summary
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase the amounts payable for wartime disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Specifically, the VA must increase the amounts by the same percentage as the cost-of-living increase in benefits for Social Security recipients that is effective on December 1, 2021. The bill requires the VA to publish the amounts payable, as increased, in the Federal Register.
The VA is authorized to make a similar adjustment to the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who have not received compensation for service-connected disability or death.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 262 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed423–0 | Sep 20, 2021 |
Cosponsors 9
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 3, 2021 to Jun 22, 2021; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | Feb 3, 2021 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Apr 27, 2021 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | May 25, 2021 | |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Jun 9, 2021 | |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Jun 9, 2021 | |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Jun 14, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Jun 22, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 3, 2021Hearings Apr 28, 2021Markup May 26, 2021Reported Jun 24, 2021 |
Actions 20
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 8, 2021Signed by President.
- Oct 8, 2021Became Public Law No: 117-45.
- Sep 27, 2021Presented to President.
- Sep 20, 2021Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 20, 2021Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4536-4537)
- Sep 20, 2021DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 189.
- Sep 20, 2021At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- Sep 20, 2021Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4544)
- Sep 20, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 423 - 0 (Roll no. 262). (text: CR H4536)
- Sep 20, 2021Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 26, 2021Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 26, 2021Received in the House.
- Jul 26, 2021Held at the desk.
- Jul 21, 2021Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5023; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S5023)
- Jun 24, 2021Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Tester with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. Without written report.
- Jun 24, 2021Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 84.
- May 26, 2021Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Apr 28, 2021Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 117-137.
- Feb 3, 2021Introduced in Senate
- Feb 3, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text: CR S319)
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4536, H4537Text printed H4536Recorded votes H4544enactLists H4544Votes recorded by proxy on S. 189, Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act | Elaine G. Luria D-VA, Mark Takano D-CA, Mike Bost R-IL | Sep 20, 2021 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S5023Amendments S5023 | Tina Smith D-MN | Jul 21, 2021 |
| Senate | Text printed S319 | John Thune R-SD (text) | Feb 3, 2021 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jul 13, 2021S. 189, Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021As reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on June 24, 2021
Related bills 6
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 408 | Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2019 | Reintroduction of | Feb 7, 2019 |
| S 2392 | Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025 | Cross-Congress related bill | Nov 25, 2025 |
| HR 3909 | Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021 | Related bill | Sep 7, 2021 |
| S 4223 | Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022 | Related bill | Jul 13, 2022 |
| S 4487 | Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026 | Cross-Congress related bill | May 11, 2026 |
Titles 8
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual cost-of-living adjustments to be made automatically by law each year in the rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
- Official Titles as Amended by Senate
- A bill to increase, effective as of December 1, 2021, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
- Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text
- Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Jul 21, 2021Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 24, 2021Reported to Senate
- Feb 3, 2021Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
