U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) wants to change current federal law allowing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to request payback of a month’s benefits if a deceased military veteran’s spouse who is receiving benefit checks dies during the month they received a check.
Rep. Steil on Dec. 16, 2021, sponsored the bipartisan Survivor Benefits Fairness Act, H.R. 6323, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb (D-PA) to adjust the effective date of certain reductions and discontinuances of compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pension under the laws administered by the VA, according to the text of the bill.
Rep. Steil’s office was contacted by constituents, the Hessil family, who received notice from the VA to return survivor benefit payments, according to his staff.
“My office is here to help. We are always looking for people to bring us their problems with the federal government so we can help to solve them. In this case, we wanted to do more,” Rep. Steil said. “The Survivor Benefits Fairness Act will ensure that no family has to return rightly deserved benefits to the VA after a family member’s passing.”
The Hessil family contacted the congressman’s office after a family member who had been receiving monthly benefits from the VA due to her husband’s military service died five hours before the end of the month, according to a one-page bill summary provided by Rep. Steil’s office, which said the VA is now demanding that her family return her benefits for the whole month.
“I believe families of deceased benefit recipients should not be required to pay back benefits that were already used for necessary living expenses,” said Rep. Steil. “That is why I introduced the Survivor Benefits Fairness Act. This is the right thing to do for our veterans who honorably served our country. Their grieving families should not be burdened with unnecessary debt to repay benefits.”
H.R. 6323 has been referred to the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for consideration.