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Compensation for Disabled Vets to Increase Effective Dec. 1

APWU Web News Article #65-05, Nov. 30, 2005

Disabled veterans will receive an increase in their benefits effective Dec. 1, as a result of the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-111), which was signed into law on Nov. 22. The legislation grants veterans who receive disability payments (or their survivors) the same cost-of-living adjustments Social Security recipients receive. The December COLA increase will mean an increase of 4.1 percent.

The increase will apply to:

1. Basic compensation rates for veterans who have service-connected disabilities.
   
   
2. Disabled veterans rated 30 percent or higher will see an increase in the allowance for spouses, children, and dependent parents.
   
   
3. Disabled veterans whose compensable disability requires the use of a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance will see an increase in their clothing allowance of those items that tend to tear or wear out clothing. Disabled veterans who use prescribed medications for service-connected skin conditions will receive an increase in their allowance for irreparable damage to clothing caused by the medications.
   
   
4. The dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) rates will also increase.

Examples of how this will change the current payment schedule of basic compensation rates are as follows:

Old amount	New amount
$106	$112
$205	$218
$316	$337
$454	$485
$646	$690
$817	$873
$1,029	$1,099
$1,195	$1,277
$1,344	$1,436
$2,239	$2,393

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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