Bill > HR6047

This bill, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026, aims to increase certain benefits for veterans and their families. Specifically, it directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide a supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 to veterans who are eligible for aid and attendance benefits, effective December 1, 2026. Additionally, it mandates that Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) rates, which are paid to surviving spouses and children of deceased service members or veterans, will be increased by the same percentage as Social Security benefit increases, plus an additional one percent (or half a percent after the first increase), also starting December 1, 2026, and terminating after the second such increase. The bill also modifies the loan fee schedule for VA housing loans, extending the period for certain fee structures and increasing the percentages for some loan types, and it expands the definition of "active duty" for housing loan eligibility to include certain types of service for members of the National Guard and Reserve, making their service on or after September 11, 2001, potentially eligible. Furthermore, it allows individuals with at least 14 days of qualifying service in the National Guard or Reserves, who complete their initial training, to be eligible for VA housing loans, subject to an additional loan fee. Finally, the bill extends the expiration date for certain limits on pension payments.