Jay Rockefeller: “as the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am delighted that the Senate is considering S. 1927, the…”

“as the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am delighted that the Senate is considering S. 1927, the proposed Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 1994. Effective December 1, 1994, this bill would increase the rates of compensation paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities, and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation [DIC] paid to the survivors of certain service-disabled veterans, by the same percentage as the increase in Social Security and VA pension benefits effective the same date. Currently, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the fiscal year 1995 cost-of-living adjustment [COLA] will be 3 percent. A 3-percent COLA increases the basic monthly compensation for a totally disabled veteran from $1,774 to $1,827 per month--a $53 increase. S. 1927 also would increase the payments for all qualified recipients of DIC by $23 per month. There are 2.2 million service-disabled veterans and 345,000 survivors who depend on these compensation programs. These individuals have made enormous sacrifices on behalf of this Nation. As chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am committed to ensuring that these veterans and veterans' survivors receive the benefits they deserve. I believe strongly that we have a fundamental obligation to meet the needs of those who became disabled as the result of military service, as well as the needs of their families.”