Statement for the Record submitted to House Veterans Affairs’ hearing touches on variety of veteran-related legislation.
Protecting Gold Star spouses benefits, increased compensation for surviving spouses of veterans who passed away from ALS and legislation requiring VA to identify and report instances of fraud with respect to disability benefit questionnaire forms were among pieces of legislation The American Legon expressed support for in a Statement for the Record (SFR) submitted Feb. 3 to a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing.
The SFR was submitted by Sri Benson, a policy analyst in the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division. Read the entire SFR here.
Among the legislation the statement touched on was an effort to protect Gold Star spouses benefits through H.R. 1004, Love Lives On Act of 2025. Benson wrote that Gold Star spouses face a heartbreaking predicament: choose love and happiness through remarriage before the age of 55 and lose critical benefits or forgo companionship to retain them.
“Some lost their spouses overseas in combat, terrorist attacks, or training accidents. Others succumbed to diseases from toxic exposures,” Benson wrote. “Some returned home only to take their own lives under the weight of their invisible wounds. H.R. 1004 removes the age requirement for retaining benefits upon remarriage and protects our gold star families.
“When a young widow remarries, they are not replacing what was lost. The void left behind, the empty chair at the dinner table, will never be filled. But by passing this bill, we can help them build fuller, more meaningful lives and rebuild strong family units.”
Benson noted he speaks from experience. “I work closely with Gold Star spouses on a regular basis as a policy analyst for The American Legion, but I also am a surviving spouse,” he wrote. “My wife, Katie, succumbed to service-connected mesothelioma on July 9, 2022. She faced this illness with incomparable courage. I was Katie’s caregiver for years, leaving a career I loved to care for her. In her final months I dedicated 20 hours a day to her care. This level of care was both emotionally difficult and left a lasting impact on my body. In March 2022, when we were told her medical options were depleted and we must enroll in hospice care and prepare for her death, I suffered a series of heart attacks caused by stress-induced cardiomyopathy. While I did return home before her death, those weeks in the hospital brought additional pain and uncertainty.”
Benson said he was proud of the care he provided his wife before her death. But it took it’s toll. “My old career is gone, my old body is gone, the life we had built together is gone,” he wrote. “Through years of physical therapy and peer support I have rebuilt my life, and even though I have found love again the empty chair at the dinner table will never be replaced.
“Remarriage penalties force our widows and widowers into an impossible choice between personal happiness and financial stability. It is time to change that. Through Resolution No. 36: Prevent Gold Star Spouses Loss of Benefits, The American Legion has resolved to protect Gold Star Spouses from losing their benefits. They should not be punished for finding love again because they are still the surviving spouses of our fallen heroes. Their sacrifice has not diminished, and they have earned these benefits through service and loss.”
Benson’s SFR also touched on additional legislation that The American Legion supports, including:
· H.R. 1685, Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025, which amends Title 38, U.S. Code, to extend increased dependency and indemnity compensation paid to surviving spouses of veterans who die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, regardless of how long the veterans had such disease prior to death. “The additional compensation is intended to compensate families for the hardships and sacrifices which come with serious long-term illnesses. H.R. 1685, Justice for ALS Veterans Act recognizes, the sacrifices families make are not determined by arbitrary timelines,” Benson wrote. “While this bill is focused on making surviving families, who have cared for ALS veterans whole, it requires the VA to identify and report to Congress additional conditions which should be treated similarly.”
· H.R.5339, Susan E. Lukas 9/11 Servicemember Fairness Act, which would establish a presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with exposure to certain toxins at the Pentagon Reservation during certain period beginning on Sept. 11, 2001. “The servicemembers who were at the Pentagon during the attacks and aftermath were at the front lines of the start of the War on Terror. Through the catastrophic damage and fires raging in the rubble, they worked diligently to help with evacuation, recovery, cleanup and more as they witnessed sights that few Americans can imagine,” Benson wrote. “In the process, they were exposed to smoke and fumes from the computers, office supplies, plastics, wiring, plane parts, fuel, insulation, and more that burned for days after the attack. Research has shown consistently that exposure to these kinds of pollutants and chemicals can adversely affect health. These servicemembers deserve to have the same kinds of presumptive service connections that World Trade Center civilians and servicemembers exposed to burn pits have. Anything less is overlooking the first heroes of the War on Terror.”
· H.R. 6698, Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025, which amends Title 38, U.S Code, to require the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to include in its annual report an identification of the factors contributing to untimely disposition and remand of appeals, and for other purposes. “The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, also referred to as the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) reimagined how appeal decisions were made. Prior to the AMA, the system only provided veterans with one appeal lane and created an endless remand cycle that delayed claims decisions for years,” Benson wrote. “The AMA created three distinct appeal lanes to provide options for veterans seeking recourse for claims they believe should not be denied. The proposed legislation seeks to require BVA to address AMA cases which are not being adjudicated in the amount of time mandated by the law and provide formal explanations for remanded cases in its annual report to Congress. Medial opinion delays, declining claims quality, an endless remand cycle and increased rework at the regional office have frustrated veterans stuck in the appeals cycle. A 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted that BVA could not verify its accuracy rates for two of the four years that were examined. Also, BVA remanded 80 percent of board decisions, but was unable to provide adequate reasoning. The endless loop of the remand cycle was supposed to be addressed by the creation of the AMA, however, the problem persists. Inadequate C&P exams, poor claim development, legal inconsistencies and the refusal to acknowledge valid medical evidence continue to trend negatively. This is why Congress has introduced H.R. 6698 Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025 to improve annual reporting and identify quality issues to deter excessive remands.”
- Legislative