Caring for Survivors Act of 2025
Latest action · Jun 24, 2025 Subcommittee Hearings Held
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.
- IntroducedMar 11, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Caring for Survivors Act of 2025
This bill increases the monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Dependency and indemnity compensation is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors (i.e., spouses, parents, or children) of (1) certain veterans who died as a result of a service-connected condition; (2) service members killed while on active military duty or active or inactive duty for training; or (3) veterans who did not die from a service-connected condition, but were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period of time.
The bill also (1) reduces, from 10 years to 5 years, the period of time that certain veterans must have been rated totally disabled due to a service-connected disability in order for a survivor to qualify for benefits; and (2) specifies the amount that is payable to survivors of veterans who were rated totally disabled for a period of less than 10 years before their death.
Cosponsors 134
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 11, 2025 to Sep 14, 2026; 52 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NY | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-OR | Andrea Salinas | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MD | April McClain Delaney | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NY | Daniel S. Goldman | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-GA | David Scott | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-IL | Delia C. Ramirez | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NC | Donald G. Davis | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-TX | Greg Casar | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-OH | Greg Landsman | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-TX | Jasmine Crockett | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-HI | Jill N. Tokuda | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-IL | Jonathan L. Jackson | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NY | Josh Riley | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NJ | LaMonica McIver | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-PA | Mary Gay Scanlon | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Mikie Sherrill | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-KY | Morgan McGarvey | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-IL | Nikki Budzinski | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MA | Richard E. Neal | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-OH | Shontel M. Brown | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-MI | Shri Thanedar | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-VI | Stacey E. Plaskett | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-NY | Timothy M. Kennedy | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-AZ | Yassamin Ansari | Original | Mar 11, 2025 |
| D-CA | Dave Min | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Apr 24, 2025 | |
| R-NY | Michael Lawler | Apr 28, 2025 | |
| D-NV | Steven Horsford | May 23, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | May 29, 2025 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-IN | Frank J. Mrvan | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-RI | Gabe Amo | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Kim Schrier | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-FL | Lois Frankel | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-PA | Madeleine Dean | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Raul Ruiz | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-RI | Seth Magaziner | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-VA | Suhas Subramanyam | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-OR | Val T. Hoyle | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Jun 3, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Joaquin Castro | Jun 24, 2025 | |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Jun 25, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Jun 25, 2025 | |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Jun 26, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Jun 27, 2025 | |
| D-FL | Kathy Castor | Jun 30, 2025 | |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Jul 21, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Julie Johnson | Jul 22, 2025 | |
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Aug 12, 2025 | |
| D-IL | Eric Sorensen | Sep 16, 2025 | |
| D-PA | Christopher R. Deluzio | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| D-LA | Cleo Fields | Sep 30, 2025 | |
| D-NY | John W. Mannion | Sep 30, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Sep 30, 2025 | |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | Oct 3, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Emily Randall | Oct 3, 2025 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Oct 17, 2025 | |
| D-MN | Angie Craig | Oct 21, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | Oct 28, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Oct 28, 2025 | |
| R-FL | Cory Mills | Nov 4, 2025 | |
| D-PR | Pablo José Hernández | Nov 4, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-AL | Shomari Figures | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Nov 12, 2025 | |
| D-NJ | Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. | Nov 18, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Robert Garcia | Nov 19, 2025 | |
| D-MN | Kelly Morrison | Dec 16, 2025 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Jan 6, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. | Jan 30, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Kevin Mullin | Jan 30, 2026 | |
| D-MD | Sarah Elfreth | Jan 30, 2026 | |
| D-OR | Maxine Dexter | Mar 25, 2026 | |
| D-DE | Sarah McBride | Apr 9, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Lateefah Simon | Apr 20, 2026 | |
| D-FL | Maxwell Frost | Apr 23, 2026 | |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | May 19, 2026 | |
| D-IL | Lauren Underwood | May 20, 2026 | |
| D-SC | James E. Clyburn | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Nancy Pelosi | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-MO | Wesley Bell | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-NY | Joseph D. Morelle | May 22, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Mike Thompson | May 29, 2026 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | May 29, 2026 | |
| D-KS | Sharice Davids | May 29, 2026 | |
| D-MI | Hillary J. Scholten | Jun 2, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Jun 2, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Jun 8, 2026 | |
| D-VA | Jennifer L. McClellan | Jun 10, 2026 | |
| D-VA | Eugene Simon Vindman | Jun 18, 2026 | |
| D-NY | Ritchie Torres | Jul 13, 2026 | |
| D-AZ | Greg Stanton | Aug 3, 2026 | |
| D-NJ | Analilia Mejia | Sep 10, 2026 | |
| D-LA | Troy A. Carter | Sep 14, 2026 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Mar 11, 2025 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Mar 27, 2025Hearings Jun 24, 2025 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2025Subcommittee Hearings Held
- Mar 27, 2025Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Mar 11, 2025Introduced in House
- Mar 11, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 1
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 H1434 | Mark Takano D-CA | Apr 7, 2025 |
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 45, March 11, 2025, page H1152.
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 119-56 | EXAMINING VA BENEFITS: PENSION AND FIDUCIARY, AND VA LIFE INSURANCE OPTIONS58 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Apr 21, 2026 |
| S. Hrg. 119-317 | LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION OF DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AND MULTI VSOs: MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, BLUE STAR FAMILIES, VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS, SERVICE WOMEN'S ACTION NETWORK, GOLD STAR WIVES OF AMERICA, INC., BLACK VETERANS PROJECT216 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Feb 24, 2026 |
| Serial No. 119-28 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON. H.R. 3123, H.R. 3627, H.R. 3833, H.R. 3834, H.R. 3835, H.R. 3854, H.R. 3983, H.R. 3951, H.R. 659, H.R. 2055, H.R. 2701, AND H.R. 2721238 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jun 24, 2025 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 611 | Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 | Identical bill | Mar 11, 2025 |
| HR 680 | Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 | Identical bill | Feb 26, 2025 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and to expand eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation paid to certain survivors of certain veterans, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Caring for Survivors Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 11, 2025Introduced in House
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.
