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.
The public law requires VA to raise disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation effective December 1, 2023 by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA.
Public Law 119-42 again increases veterans disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation effective December 1, 2025 by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA.
The law directs VA to increase disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA effective December 1, 2023.
Congress again enacted the annual veterans COLA measure, requiring the same percentage increase as the Social Security COLA for December 1, 2025.
Assessments
The promised policy was enacted during King's Senate service. Public Law 118-6, signed June 14, 2023, requires VA disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation to rise by the same percentage as the annual Social Security COLA, directly matching the claim. Later annual reauthorizations in 2025 and King's 2026 cosponsorship show the policy continued, but the core promise was already delivered in the same term once the 2023 law passed.
The promise matches the enacted Veterans' COLA Act of 2023, which required VA to increase disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA effective December 1, 2023. That is direct federal enactment during King’s Senate service, so the claim is fulfilled in-term. Later 2025-2026 COLA bills show continued support, but they are not needed to establish delivery.
The promised policy was enacted in federal law as the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2023, which requires veterans disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation to rise by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA effective December 1, 2023. That matches the claim closely, and it happened while King was in office, so this is a same-term delivery rather than a later-term or partial outcome.
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.