Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
In Committee
Summary
Extends increased dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS regardless of how long the veteran had the disease before death. It also sets an eight-year continuous marriage rule for that DIC eligibility and would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to report within 180 days on other service-connected disabilities with high mortality and their average life expectancies.
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- Families: Surviving spouses married to a veteran for at least 8 continuous years would qualify for the higher DIC if the veteran died from ALS, even when ALS developed shortly before death. This gives a clearer route to benefits for those survivors.
- Department of Veterans Affairs: The VA must deliver a report within 180 days identifying other service-connected conditions that should be treated like ALS for survivor compensation, and include a list of high-mortality disabilities and average life expectancy data.
- Policy and future claimants: The required report could prompt Congress or the VA to extend the same DIC treatment to other high-mortality service-connected conditions in the future.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More VA survivor pay for ALS deaths
If enacted, surviving spouses could get the higher VA survivor payment when a veteran dies from ALS. How long the veteran had ALS would not matter. To qualify, you would need to have been married to the veteran continuously for at least 8 years. This would apply only if the veteran’s death is on or after October 1, 2025.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1]
NH • D
Sponsored 2/27/2025
Budzinski
IL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Van Drew
NJ • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 6/17/2025
Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]
CO • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]
NV • D
Sponsored 7/21/2025
Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]
WA • R
Sponsored 7/25/2025
Lofgren
CA • D
Sponsored 8/5/2025
Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2]
NM • D
Sponsored 8/8/2025
Crow
CO • D
Sponsored 8/15/2025
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 8/22/2025
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
CA • R
Sponsored 9/19/2025
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/23/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 9/23/2025
Riley (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 10/10/2025
Mills
FL • R
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Hunt
TX • R
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Kelly (PA)
PA • R
Sponsored 2/5/2026
Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov