H.R. 2055: Caring for Survivors Act of 2025
Sponsor
Jahana Hayes
Democrat · CT-5
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jun 24, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Veterans’ survivors shouldn’t wait 10 years
Why it matters
A surviving spouse’s base VA payment is still written in law as $1,154, and some families get nothing unless the veteran was totally disabled for 10 straight years before death. H.R. 2055 would tie that payment to a larger monthly benefit formula and cut the eligibility wait to five years.
H.R. 2055 changes how VA survivor compensation is calculated for surviving spouses. Instead of a fixed $1,154 amount written into law, the bill would set the payment at 55% of the monthly compensation rate used elsewhere in VA disability benefits.
The bill also expands eligibility for another group of survivors. Right now, some families can only qualify if the veteran was continuously rated totally disabled for 10 years immediately before death. H.R. 2055 cuts that requirement to five years.
That new eligibility is not all-or-nothing. If the veteran had a total disability rating for five to nine years before death, the survivor would get a proportional share of the full payment. A seven-year case, for example, would receive 7/10 of the otherwise payable amount.
There is also a safeguard for some older survivor cases tied to deaths before January 1, 1993. In those cases, VA must pay whichever amount is higher: the old calculation or the new one.
The changes would not start right away. The higher payments would apply beginning six months after enactment, giving the Department of Veterans Affairs time to update its systems.
H.R. 2055 Bill Summary
What H.R. 2055 actually does.
Surviving spouses get a new payment formula
H.R. 2055 replaces the fixed $1,154 base amount for surviving spouses with a payment equal to 55% of a VA monthly compensation rate, so the benefit is no longer locked to one static number in the law.
More families qualify after five years, not 10
The bill lowers a key eligibility threshold for certain survivors of veterans rated totally disabled at death. Instead of requiring 10 continuous years immediately before death, H.R. 2055 would require five.
Five-to-nine-year cases get partial payments
If the veteran was continuously rated totally disabled for less than 10 years before death, the survivor would receive a proportional payment rather than the full amount. A five-year case would receive half; a nine-year case would receive 90%.
Older survivor cases keep the better payment
For qualifying cases tied to a veteran's death before January 1, 1993, VA must compare the old and new calculations and pay whichever amount is higher.
Payments start after a six-month delay
The increase would take effect for months beginning six months after enactment, not immediately, so VA would have time to update benefit systems and calculations.
Who benefits from H.R. 2055?
Surviving spouses already receiving VA dependency and indemnity compensation
They would move off the old $1,154 base amount and onto a formula tied to a broader VA compensation rate, which should produce a higher monthly payment than the figure now written into law.
Families blocked by the 10-year disability rule
If your veteran family member was rated totally disabled for at least five years but less than 10 years before death, H.R. 2055 would let you qualify where current law may not.
Survivors in five-, six-, seven-, eight-, and nine-year cases
These families would gain access to partial benefits instead of facing a full cutoff. The bill scales payments by time—for example, 7 years of total disability would pay 70% of the otherwise payable amount.
Some long-time beneficiaries tied to deaths before 1993
This group gets a hold-harmless rule. VA would have to pay the higher of the old amount or the new formula amount.
Who is affected by H.R. 2055?
The Department of Veterans Affairs
VA would need to update payment systems, recalculate surviving spouse awards under the new 55% formula, and apply proportional awards for five-to-nine-year cases.
Current survivor-benefit recipients
People already receiving these payments could see their monthly amount recalculated under the new formula once the six-month implementation period ends.
Families who still would not meet the threshold
If the veteran was rated totally disabled for less than five continuous years immediately before death, H.R. 2055 would not extend this particular eligibility pathway to them.
Future applicants navigating VA survivor claims
The bill would change both the monthly payment formula and the qualification rules, so new claims would be reviewed under a different structure than today.
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 (131)
This bill has 131 cosponsors: 127 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 24 committee members cosponsored
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 status, text, cosponsors, and actions for the Caring for Survivors Act of 2025.
VA’s official overview of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, the survivor benefit program this bill modifies.
Official U.S. Code section governing the monthly DIC amount for surviving spouses, which the bill amends from a fixed dollar amount to a 55% formula.
Official U.S. Code section containing the current 10-year rule that H.R. 2055 would reduce to five years and apply proportionally in some cases.
Official statute for VA disability compensation rates, including section 1114(j), which the bill uses as the benchmark for calculating 55% survivor payments.
Related official VA survivor-benefits page that helps distinguish DIC from other survivor support programs administered by VA.
Official House committee site overseeing veterans’ legislation, useful for tracking hearings and committee activity on H.R. 2055.
Official VA homepage for broader agency information, benefits administration, and implementation updates if the bill becomes law.
H.R. 2055 Common Questions
What does H.R. 2055 do for VA survivor benefits?
H.R. 2055 does two main things: it replaces the old $1,154 base payment for surviving spouses with a new formula, and it lowers one survivor eligibility rule from 10 years of total disability to 5.
Does H.R. 2055 increase the monthly DIC payment for surviving spouses?
Yes. H.R. 2055 replaces the fixed $1,154 amount with a payment equal to 55% of a VA monthly compensation rate. The bill text does not list the final dollar figure in this excerpt.
Can I qualify if the veteran was totally disabled for only 5 years before death?
Under H.R. 2055, yes for this eligibility pathway. The bill lowers the current 10-year requirement to five continuous years immediately before death.
Would survivors get full benefits if the disability rating lasted 5 to 9 years?
No. H.R. 2055 uses proportional payments for five-to-nine-year cases. A 5-year case would receive 50% of the otherwise payable amount, 7 years would receive 70%, and 9 years would receive 90%.
When would the higher VA survivor payments start?
Not right away. H.R. 2055 says the new payment rules would apply starting six months after enactment.
Does H.R. 2055 protect older survivor cases tied to deaths before 1993?
Yes. For qualifying cases based on a veteran's death before January 1, 1993, VA would have to pay whichever amount is higher under the old rule or the new formula.
Who sponsors H.R. 2055 and how far has it moved?
Rep. Jahana Hayes sponsors H.R. 2055. According to the bill metadata provided, it had 131 cosponsors and the latest House action was a subcommittee hearing.
Does H.R. 2055 include a cost estimate or funding offset?
Not in the bill text provided here. H.R. 2055 increases benefits and expands eligibility, but this material does not include a Congressional Budget Office estimate or a funding offset.
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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