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Legislation to increase cost of living for veterans passes House

Rebecca Barnabi
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The Veterans’ Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2022 would increase the compensation rates of certain Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.

The legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday for the fourth straight year, increases compensation for disabled veterans and their families.

U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia introduced the bill with Texas Rep. Troy Nehls in May. Benefits are included for dependency and indemnity paid to survivors and family members of service members who died in the line of duty or suffer from a service-related injury or disease.

“For the past four years, I have been proud to introduce and pass the bipartisan cost of living adjustments to increase compensation and benefits for our disabled veterans and military families,” Luria, vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said in a press release. “With the global supply chain crisis continuing to impact Americans, disabled veterans and military families, the COLA Act of 2022 will ensure that the needs of our disabled veterans are met. The passage of this bipartisan legislation for our veterans is proof of the good that can come from both sides of the aisle working together, and I look forward to the COLA Act of 2022 becoming law.”

Last year, President Joe Biden signed the COLA Act of 2021 into law and provided a 5.9 percent increase for veterans, the largest since 1982.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.

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