King is cosponsoring legislation that would increase certain veterans benefits, including disability compensation and survivor benefits, to align with annual Social Security cost-of-living increases.
Increase certain veterans benefits, including disability compensation and survivor benefits, so they rise in line with annual Social Security cost-of-living increases.
Occurrences
Evidence
"Full Title: To increase, effective as of December 1, 2026, 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." The bill listing shows Angus S. King Jr. as a cosponsor and lists the action as introduced and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The bill status is "Became Law" and the summary says the Act requires VA to increase wartime disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children by the same percentage as the Social Security cost-of-living increase effective December 1, 2023.
Assessments
The promised policy was enacted at the federal level through the Veterans' COLA Act of 2023, which became law and required VA disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors to rise by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA effective December 1, 2023. This directly matches the promise and occurred while Angus King was serving in the Senate, so it counts as delivered in the same term. Later 2026 cosponsorship shows continued support but is not needed to establish delivery.