About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (September 12, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govciux0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I Cong ressin, l Resea rch Sevice Executive Branch Legislative Proposals Affecting Veterans Benefits in the FY2018 Budget September 12, 2017 The FY2018 Budget for the Departinent of Veterans Affairs (VA) contains two legislative proposals which, if enacted, would affect disability and other types of cash benefits payable by the VA to certain veterans. These proposals would affect both current and future beneficiaries. The proposal to restrict eligibility for Individual Unemployability (IU) would reduce the monthly benefits of affected veterans and the proposed changed to the calculation of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) would reduce the annual growth in benefits. Savings from both proposals would be used to partially offset costs associated with the Veterans Choice Program. Individual Unemployability For the purposes of veterans Disability Compensation, veterans with service-connected disabilities are rated by the VA from 0% to 100%, in 10% increments, based on their level of impairment. Benefits increase with increased ratings. Under current regulations at 38 C.LR. §4.16, a veteran with one disability rated at least 60%, or with two or more disabilities with at least one disability rated at least 40% and a combined rating of at least 70%, may have his or her disability rating increased to 100% if it is determined that the veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment because of his or her disabilities (referred to as Individual Unemployability, or IU). A legislative proposal in the FY2018 budget, as described on page 151 of the document Major Savings and Rejbrins: Budget of the Uinited States Government, FY2018, would reduce the monthly benefit of a veteran who is receiving disability compensation at the 100% disability rate due to IU to the veteran's original disability rating, when the veteran reaches the minimum Social Security retirement age and is first eligible for Social Security retirement benefits (age 62). Current veterans would be affected if they are receiving Social Security retirement benefits. The justification for this change, as provided in the budget, is that when a veteran reaches retirement age, he or she is no longer in the labor market and thus, the veteran's unemployment is based on his or her age rather than his or her disability. Opponents of the proposal have argued that, because many of these veterans have been out of the workforce due to their disabilities, they may only be eligible for small Social Security benefits at retirement age and may not have other sources of retirement income such as pensions, savings, or 401 (k) investment plans. CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Membes and Committees of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most