# Plain Language Summary: Caring for Survivors Act of 2023

This bill increases financial support for the surviving spouses and families of deceased veterans. Currently, when a veteran dies, their surviving spouse receives a monthly payment called "dependency and indemnity compensation" to help with living expenses. This bill raises that payment significantly—instead of a fixed amount, surviving spouses would receive 55 percent of what a veteran with the most severe service-connected disability receives each month. This means the payment would automatically increase whenever disability payments go up, ensuring survivors' benefits keep pace with inflation and cost of living.

The bill also makes it easier for families of veterans who died from service-related disabilities to qualify for these survivor benefits. Right now, a veteran generally needs to have been rated as totally disabled for at least 10 years before their death for the family to receive full benefits. This bill lowers that requirement to just 5 years. However, if a veteran was only rated as totally disabled for less than 10 years, the family's payment would be reduced proportionally based on how long the veteran actually held that rating. For example, if a veteran was rated totally disabled for 7 years instead of 10, the family would receive 70 percent of the full benefit amount.

These changes would take effect six months after the bill becomes law. The bill includes a special protection for families of veterans who died before 1993—they would automatically receive whichever payment amount is higher under the old or new rules, ensuring no one loses money from these changes. Overall, the bill aims to provide better financial security for military families who've lost a loved one to service-related causes.

Caring for Survivors Act of 2023

Caring for Survivors Act of 2023 This bill increases the monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Dependency and indemnity compensation is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors (i.e., spouses, parents, or children) of (1) certain veterans who died as a result of a service-connected condition; (2) service members killed while on active military duty or active or inactive duty for training; or (3) veterans who did not die from a service-connected condition, but were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period of time. The bill also (1) reduces, from 10 years to 5 years, the period of time that certain veterans must have been rated totally disabled due to a service-connected disability in order for a survivor to qualify for benefits; and (2) specifies the amount that is payable to survivors of veterans who were rated totally disabled for a period of less than 10 years before their death.