H.R. 2055: Caring for Survivors Act of 2025
Sponsor
Jahana Hayes
Democrat · CT-5
Veterans' survivors deserve more than a 1993 pay rate
Why it matters
The surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition gets $1,699.36 a month from VA. H.R. 2055 would set that check at 55% of what a 100% disabled veteran receives, about $2,166 under current rates, a raise of roughly $467 a month or $5,600 a year. It would also let families qualify when the veteran was rated totally disabled for five years before death instead of 10, with a partial payment for anything in between.
Dependency and indemnity compensation, or DIC, is the monthly payment VA makes to the spouse, children, or parents of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition, or who was totally disabled from one for long enough before dying of something else. Roughly $1,699 a month goes to a surviving spouse today, before add-ons for children or disability.
H.R. 2055 stops treating that as a fixed number. The surviving spouse's base payment would become 55% of the monthly rate paid to a veteran with a 100% disability rating, which works out to about $2,166 under the rates in effect now, an increase of roughly $467 a month. That is the same share the military's Survivor Benefit Plan pays to a retiree's widow or widower, and because it is a percentage, it rises automatically whenever the disability rate does.
The second change is who qualifies. When a veteran dies of a cause unrelated to service, the family can still receive DIC if the veteran had been rated totally disabled for 10 continuous years immediately before death. The bill cuts that to five years.
A survivor whose veteran was rated totally disabled for five to nine years would get a share of the payment matching the time on the rating: half at five years, 70% at seven, 90% at nine. Under the new base rate, a five-year case would receive about $1,083 a month and a seven-year case about $1,516.
Survivors of veterans who died before 1993 are paid under an older formula based on the veteran's military pay grade. For them, VA would compare the old amount to the new one and pay whichever is higher, so no one's check goes down.
The new rates would begin six months after the bill becomes law, for everyone already on the rolls as well as new claims.
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jun 24, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
H.R. 2055 Bill Summary
What H.R. 2055 actually does.
Surviving spouses would get about $467 more a month
The base DIC payment for a surviving spouse would change from a fixed dollar amount to 55% of the monthly compensation rate for a veteran rated 100% disabled. At current rates that is roughly $2,166 a month, compared with $1,699.36 today.
The 10-year disability rule drops to five
When a veteran dies of a cause unrelated to service, survivors can qualify for DIC if the veteran had been rated totally disabled for a set period before death. H.R. 2055 lowers that period from 10 continuous years to five.
Five-to-nine-year cases are paid in proportion
If the veteran's total disability rating lasted at least five but fewer than 10 years, the survivor receives a share of the full payment equal to the years on the rating divided by 10. Five years pays 50%, seven years pays 70%, nine years pays 90%.
Pre-1993 survivors keep whichever payment is higher
Survivors of veterans who died before January 1, 1993 are paid under an older formula tied to the veteran's pay grade. VA would compare that amount to the new 55% figure and pay the larger one.
Payments change six months after enactment
The new base rate and the new eligibility rules apply to months beginning six months after the bill is signed, giving VA time to recalculate existing awards and update its systems.
Who benefits from H.R. 2055?
Surviving spouses already receiving DIC
Every surviving spouse on the DIC rolls would be moved to the new base rate. At current rates the check goes from $1,699.36 to about $2,166 a month, roughly $5,600 more a year, before any add-ons for children or a disabled spouse.
Families of veterans who died with five to nine years on a total disability rating
These survivors get nothing under the current 10-year rule when the death was not service-connected. Under H.R. 2055 they would receive a proportional payment, about $1,083 a month for a five-year case and $1,949 for a nine-year case at current rates.
Families of veterans who reach 10 years after the bill passes
A survivor whose veteran had 10 or more years on a total disability rating at death already qualifies, and would qualify for the full new rate rather than a proportional share.
Survivors of veterans who died before 1993
This group is paid under an older pay-grade formula. The bill guarantees they receive the higher of that amount or the new 55% rate.
Who is affected by H.R. 2055?
The Department of Veterans Affairs
VA would recalculate every surviving spouse's DIC award, build the proportional payment schedule for five-to-nine-year cases, and run the comparison for pre-1993 survivors, all within a six-month window.
Families whose veteran had fewer than five years on a total rating
If the death was not service-connected and the veteran's total disability rating lasted under five continuous years, the bill does not open a path to DIC. Two other existing routes, five years rated total since discharge and one year for former prisoners of war, are unchanged.
Surviving parents and children
The 55% formula applies to the surviving spouse's base payment. DIC paid to a veteran's parents, or to children when there is no surviving spouse, is calculated under separate rules the bill does not change.
Taxpayers
The bill raises the payment for everyone currently receiving spousal DIC and adds new recipients. The text does not include an offset, so the added cost would come from general revenue.
HR2055 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jun 24, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Mar 27, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
House: Committee Action
Mar 11, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
About the Sponsor
Jahana Hayes
Democrat, Connecticut's 5th congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Agriculture, Education and Workforce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (133)
This bill has 133 cosponsors: 129 Democrats, 4 Republicans. Cosponsors represent 38 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 35 more.
David Scott
Democrat · GA
Delia Ramirez
Democrat · IL
Gwen Moore
Democrat · WI
Greg Casar
Democrat · TX
Rashida Tlaib
Democrat · MI
Stacey Plaskett
Democrat · VI
Henry Johnson
Democrat · GA
Jasmine Crockett
Democrat · TX
Sylvia Garcia
Democrat · TX
Ro Khanna
Democrat · CA
Shontel Brown
Democrat · OH
Greg Landsman
Democrat · OH
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Veterans' Affairs Committee
10 of 25 committee members cosponsored
1 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 2055 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Veterans' Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Introduced
- Mar 11, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Jun 24, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, status, cosponsors, and committee actions for the Caring for Survivors Act of 2025.
VA's overview of DIC, the survivor benefit the bill changes, including who qualifies and how to apply.
VA's rate table showing the $1,699.36 monthly base payment for surviving spouses that the bill would replace with a 55% formula.
VA's veteran compensation rate table, including the 100% rate the bill uses as the benchmark for the new survivor payment.
The statute that sets the surviving spouse's monthly DIC amount, which the bill rewrites from a fixed dollar figure to 55% of the 100% disability rate.
The statute containing the 10-year total disability rule that the bill would cut to five years with proportional payments in between.
The statute setting veteran compensation rates; section 1114(j) is the 100% rate the new 55% survivor payment is pegged to.
Committee record of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs legislative hearing that took up H.R. 2055, with witness testimony.
H.R. 2055 Common Questions
How much would VA survivor benefits go up under H.R. 2055?
About $467 a month at current rates. The base payment for a surviving spouse would move from $1,699.36 to 55% of the 100% disability rate, which is roughly $2,166. That is close to $5,600 more a year before add-ons for children.
Why does H.R. 2055 set the payment at 55%?
That is the share the military's Survivor Benefit Plan pays a retiree's surviving spouse. Tying DIC to a percentage also means it rises automatically whenever the veterans' compensation rate does, instead of depending on a separate cost-of-living bill.
My spouse was rated 100% disabled for six years before dying of something unrelated. Would I qualify?
Under H.R. 2055, yes. The current rule requires 10 continuous years on a total disability rating; the bill lowers it to five. With six years you would receive 60% of the full payment, about $1,300 a month at current rates.
I already receive DIC. Does H.R. 2055 change my payment?
Yes. Every surviving spouse on the DIC rolls would be moved to the new 55% base rate. The change takes effect for months beginning six months after the bill becomes law, so you would not need to file a new claim.
My veteran died before 1993. Could my payment go down?
No. Survivors of veterans who died before January 1, 1993 are paid under an older formula based on the veteran's pay grade. VA would compare that amount to the new rate and pay whichever is higher.
Who would still not qualify for DIC under H.R. 2055?
Families whose veteran was rated totally disabled for fewer than five continuous years before a death unrelated to service. The bill also leaves DIC for surviving parents and children under the existing rules; the 55% formula applies to the surviving spouse's base payment.
Who sponsors H.R. 2055 and where does it stand?
Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut introduced H.R. 2055 in March 2025 with 132 cosponsors. A House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee held a hearing on it in June 2025. It has no funding offset and no public CBO estimate yet, which is the main hurdle.
Based on H.R. 2055 bill text
H.R. 2055 Bill Text
“To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and to expand eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation paid to certain survivors of certain veterans, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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