This survey gathers your perspective as Congress considers H.R. 6047 to better support catastrophically injured veterans and surviving families. Share whether expanding benefits, such as the VA Home Loan program, is a fair tradeoff to meet the most severe needs.
This month’s survey is longer and more detailed than usual, and that is intentional. Your answers will be compiled and shared with policymakers, including Members of Congress, to help shape decisions affecting veterans and their families.
Some questions may take a little extra focus. Please answer as thoughtfully as you can.
Thank you for taking the time to add your voice!
Congress is currently debating proposed legislation, H.R. 6047, the Briley-Edmundson Act, which addresses how the nation supports veterans with catastrophic injuries and families who lost a veteran due to service-connected causes.
At the same time, Congress must decide how to pay for any expanded benefits under federal budget rules. This has raised difficult questions about fairness, priorities, and tradeoffs across veteran programs.
Should benefits that protect financial opportunity for many veterans, such as the VA Home Loan program, be adjusted to better support a smaller group of veterans and surviving family members experiencing catastrophic life-changing needs? There is no right or wrong answer. Your perspective will help inform policymakers as they consider this issue.
This survey will take about 5 – 7 minutes. It begins with a brief explainer and then proceeds to two sets of questions. Your responses are anonymous. Results will be shared in summary form with Congress to aid this debate.
Congress is currently debating proposed legislation, H.R. 6047, the Briley-Edmudson Act, that addresses the tradeoff between helping our most severely injured veterans as well as surviving family members of veterans who have passed owing to service-related injuries.
The trade-off raises a challenging question of how to pay for these expanded benefits.
Should benefits that protect financial opportunity for many veterans, namely the VA Home Loan program, be adjusted to better support a much smaller group of veterans and surviving family members with catastrophic needs?
Over time, some veteran benefits are adjusted mainly for inflation. That means they rise at about the same pace as everyday costs like groceries, gas, and rent.
The benefits paid to severely injured veterans and to families who lost a veteran to service-connected causes, designed to help cover full time medical care and daily caregiving, have not seen a base rate increase since 1993. Those costs have risen much faster than everyday inflation.
Medical and caregiving costs have risen nearly twice as fast as these benefits over the past 30 years, meaning these dollars do not stretch as far as they once did when it comes to paying for in-home care, medical services, and long-term support.
Congress is now considering whether and how to review these benefits to better reflect today’s care needs, while also balancing fairness and fiscal responsibility across all veteran programs.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates this effort will cost between $7 billion and $10 billion in total over the next 10 years.
The VA is subject to PAYGO and CUTGO restrictions (See explainer, inset), meaning this funding must be identified from within the existing budget.
What it attempts to do: The Briley-Edmundson Act proposes targeted increases to DIC and to SMC R1, R2, and T benefits, above standard cost-of-living adjustments.
Why it exists: Supporters argue that these benefits serve some of the most vulnerable veterans and survivors, and that their purchasing power and adequacy have eroded over time relative to care needs and costs.
How H.R. 6047 will pay for increases: H.R. 6047 would fund these increases in part by requiring veterans rated below 70% disabled to pay the VA home loan funding fee after their first use of the benefit.
Alternative Payment Methods Under Consideration: Congress is considering several ways to pay for these benefit increases, including changes to VA refinance loan fees, adjustments to funding fees for repeat home loan use, extending existing fee schedules, or applying fees only to veterans with lower disability ratings. Different combinations of these options could raise several billion dollars, and no final decision has been made.
What it does not do: The bill does not eliminate VA home loan eligibility, but some proposed funding options could change certain fees for repeat use.
What it is: DIC is a monthly benefit paid to surviving spouses, children, or parents of veterans who died from service-connected causes or whose service-connected disabilities contributed substantially to their death.
What it’s for: To provide income support to families who lost a veteran due to military service.
Key context: DIC rates increase annually with cost-of-living adjustments, but the underlying benefit structure has not been substantially updated in decades.
Current and Projected DIC Rates:
Notes:
What it is: SMC R1 is paid to severely disabled veterans who require daily personal care (such as help with bathing, dressing, or feeding) but can still live outside a medical facility.
What it’s for: To help offset the cost of regular in-home caregiving.
What it is: SMC R2 is paid to veterans with even greater care needs than R1, typically requiring a higher level of daily, hands-on assistance.
What it’s for: To support veterans who depend heavily on caregivers to remain out of institutional care.
What it is: SMC T is a benefit for veterans with traumatic brain injury or similar catastrophic conditions that require ongoing daily care.
What it’s for: To support veterans whose injuries create permanent, intensive care needs.
Key context: Like R1 and R2, SMC T is adjusted mainly through annual cost-of-living increases rather than structural updates.
Together, these benefits support a relatively small group of veterans and families with the most severe and permanent care needs.
Current Rates for SMC-R1, R2, and T:
Notes:
• SMC-R2 and SMC-T pay the same amount under current tables; T is specifically for traumatic brain injury or similar catastrophic conditions.
• Actual payment can be higher if a spouse, children, or parents are included, since dependents add amounts.
What they are: PAYGO (“Pay-As-You-Go”) and CUTGO (“Cut-As-You-Go”) are congressional budget rules that require new spending to be offset.
How they work:
Why they matter here: Under these rules, increases to veteran benefits may require Congress to identify funding sources or offsets, which drives debates about tradeoffs between programs.
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