Join the Fight for Quality of Life: Write Your Elected Officials in Support of the Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act of 2021 and Veterans Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2021! S.89, the Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act of 2021! To write your elected officials in support of S.89, please click here. Issue Background Many veterans receiving VA disability benefits are at a higher risk for severe illness due to COVID-19. To date, over 570,000 Americans are recorded as having died from COVID-19; this includes over 11,000 veterans. According to 38 CFR ยง 3.10, if a veteran's death is the result of a service-connected injury or disease, either the veteran's spouse or a qualified dependent child is entitled to Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC). However, the reality is that assigning a cause of death is not always straightforward - this fact has only been exacerbated in recent times. By extension, the ambiguities surrounding Survivor Benefit delivery and entitlement to DIC have only become more convoluted. For example, if an autopsy of a veteran states the cause of death is COVID-19, it is unlikely the veteran would be service-connected for COVID-19 itself. As a result, spouses and/or qualified dependent children risk losing a benefit which they are entitled to receive under the law. Where Are We Now? On January 28, 2021, Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Thom Tillis introduced S.89, the Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act of 2021. S.89 was referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. On April 28, 2021, S.89 was one of many bills to receive a legislative hearing from the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. The AFSA submitted a written statement for the record expressing support for this legislation. Yesterday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee reported the bill favorably by unanimous voice vote. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor for more deliberation and debate. AFSA's Position Strongly Supports. AFSA HQ Sample Letter Senate
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of) Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator (Insert Name), As your constituent, I respectfully request your support for S.89, the Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act of 2021. This legislation is supported by the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), of which I am one of 75,000+ members. Under current law, if a veteran's death is the result of a service-connected injury or disease, either the veteran's spouse or a qualified dependent child is entitled to Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Veterans receiving VA disability benefits are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 due to the nature of their service-connected disability or injury. However, it is unlikely a veteran would be service-connected for COVID-19 itself. While there are certain instances where a spouse or qualified dependent child could receive DIC benefits if the veteran dies of a non-service-connected injury or disease, it is not always clear if being service-connected with a risk factor would trigger an automatic qualification for benefits. S.89 would eliminate ambiguities surrounding the delivery of DIC that have only been convoluted due to COVID-19 by requiring the VA to determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or contributory cause of death in a situation where a veteran's death certificate identifies COVID-19 as the principal or contributory cause of death. In many instances, the receipt of DIC is necessary to support the financial readiness of a military family. Without this legislation, spouses and/or qualified dependent children are left at risk of losing their loved ones and the benefit they are entitled to receive under the law. I extend my sincerest gratitude to you for your consideration of this measure. Please do all you can to move this legislation forward. Additionally, I humbly ask for a response to this request, so I know where you stand on this important issue. Best regards, [CONTACT: Name] S.189, the Veterans Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2021! To write your elected officials in support of S.189, please click here. Issue Background By the current conduct of legislative business, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of DIC for the survivors of certain disabled veterans are adjusted in alignment with the percentage increase, if any, between the average third-quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI) of the current year over the average third-quarter CPI of the prior year. Referred to as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), its purpose is to ensure that the purchasing power of benefits such as VA disability compensation and DIC are not eroded by inflation. Under federal law, the cost-of-living adjustments to VA's compensation and pension rates are the same rate as benefits payable under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA), which sets the requirements for disability insurance benefits. However, unlike Social Security beneficiaries, recipients of veterans' benefits depend on intervention by Congress each year to approve their COLA. As a result, veterans and their families, who depend on these benefits to make ends meet, are left in a state of uncertainty each year over whether lawmakers will pass this critically important measure. Where Are We Now? On February 3, 2021, Senators John Thune and Brian Schatz introduced S.189, the Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2021. On the same date, this bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. On April 28, 2021, S.189 was one of many bills to receive a legislative hearing from the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. The AFSA submitted a written statement for the record expressing support for this legislation. Yesterday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee reported the bill favorably by unanimous voice vote. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor for more deliberation and debate. Legislation Summary This bill provides that whenever there is a cost-of-living increase in benefits for Social Security recipients, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall increase (by the same %) the amounts payable for veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses and children. AFSA's Position The AFSA expresses our sincerest gratitude to Senators John Thune and Brian Schatz for introducing this legislation and urges members of the Senate to support the bill in its current form. AFSA HQ Sample Letter Senate
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of) Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator (Insert Name), As your constituent, I respectfully request your support for S.189, the Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act of 2021. This legislation is supported by the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), of which I am one of 75,000+ members. Identical to the rate of benefits payable under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA), rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for survivors are adjusted in alignment with the percentage increase, if any, between the average third-quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI) of the current year over the average third-quarter CPI of the prior year. Referred to as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), its purpose is to ensure that the purchasing power of benefits such as VA disability compensation and DIC are not eroded by inflation. However, unlike Social Security beneficiaries, recipients of veterans' benefits depend on intervention by Congress each year to approve their COLA. As a result, veterans and their families, who depend on these benefits to make ends meet, are left in a state of uncertainty each year over whether lawmakers will pass this critically important legislation. This bill would simply alleviate this state of uncertainty by providing for annual COLA adjustments to be made automatically by law each year. I extend my sincerest gratitude to you for your consideration of these measures. Please do all you can to move this legislation forward. Additionally, I humbly ask for a response to this request, so I know where you stand on this important issue. Best regards, [CONTACT: Name] ////////////////// Important: These same letters are located in our Legislative Action Center, which can be accessed by clicking here. Using our Legislative Action Center is the easiest method to get in contact with your elected officials.
However, if you prefer to write your elected official through an alternative communication outlet, here is a list of helpful suggestions that will improve the effectiveness of the letter: - Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter.
- Be courteous, to the point, and include key information using examples to support your position.
- Personalize your letter with an anecdote to help paint a picture for the reader
- Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page.
Note: Whenever addressing the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as: Dear Mr. Chairman, Madam Chairwoman, Dear Madam Speaker or Mr. Speaker. Questions If you have any additional questions about this AFSA supported legislation, please e-mail our Policy Advisor at mschwartzman@hqafsa.org.
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