A new bill could offer surviving family members of troops and veterans a slight increase in monthly compensation, along with a more sizable annual increase in benefits for the most severely disabled veterans.
The House of Representatives recently passed the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, which calls for a 1.5% increase in Dependency and Indemnity Compensation over the next two years. Experts told Task & Purpose that the increase would be modest — coming in at less than $100 a month.
If the Senate also passes the bill, it would also provide an $833.33 per month in Special Monthly Compensation, or SMC, for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, such as blindness or the loss of one or more limbs, for a total of $10,000 more per year.
Several veteran groups support the bill, which is named for Sharri Briley, whose husband, Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donovan Briley, was killed in 1993 during the Battle of Mogadishu. It is also named for Eric Edmundson, an Army veteran who was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device while deployed to Iraq in 2005.
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“The American Legion strongly supports survivors’ access to the resources that meet their unique needs,” said Cole Lyle, director of veterans affairs and rehabilitation for the American Legion. “These families have already sacrificed more than most Americans could imagine. But now they are facing an inexcusable burden of spending significantly more on things like in-home support, medical and adaptive equipment, transportation, and household costs.”
However, the Veterans of Foreign Wars voiced concerns last year that the bill would be funded by imposing a Department of Veterans Affairs home loan funding fee on veterans with disability ratings of 70% and below, who are currently exempt from such an expense.
A VFW spokesperson said on Wednesday that the group has no objections about the bill going forward.
‘A step forward’ on service-connected benefits
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or DIC, is a tax-free benefit paid to surviving children, spouses, and parents of troops who died on active duty or in training; to survivors of veterans who died of their service-connected disabilities; and to certain survivors of veterans who were totally disabled due to their service-connected conditions when they died, according to the Veterans Benefit Administration.
As of fiscal year 2025, more than 549,000 survivors were receiving the compensation, including about 530,000 surviving spouses, more than 16,500 children, and roughly 2,600 parents, a report from the administration says.
Currently, the monthly rate for DIC is $1,699, and it has only increased due to Cost of Living Adjustments since 1993, said Candace Wheeler, senior director of government and legislative affairs for the Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors.
“These stringent limitations on DIC payments to our military and veteran survivors have negative financial and widespread impacts on housing, employment, transportation, food security, medical and mental health care for all surviving families,” Wheeler told Task & Purpose.
Even with the additional benefits called for by the bill, family members of troops and veterans who have died would still receive less than survivors of other federal employees, said Jon Retzer, the national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans.
While the proposed increase in DIC would be modest, it would also be “a step forward,” said Greg Rinckey, founding partner at the Tully Rinckey law firm, which represents troops and veterans.
“It’s recognizing that the number is too low,” Rinckey told Task & Purpose. “Of course, there’s other programs that these children and survivors would get from Social Security, but still, this number is a pittance for what the service member has sacrificed.”
Support for those who ‘sacrificed the most’
The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act would also increase Special Monthly Compensation payments for about 7,000 severely disabled veterans, according to a news release from Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), who introduced the bill.
The payments would go to veterans who have severe injuries or a service-connected illness that have left them without the use of multiple extremities and veterans with service-connected traumatic brain injuries who require constant aid and attendance, said Dog Woodard, associate director of field service training for Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Because Special Monthly Compensation has not been increased in a long time, it has not kept pace with the costs needed for severely disabled veterans to live independently, said Heather Ansley, the group’s chief policy officer.
“Some veterans are fortunate to have maybe a family member, parent, a spouse who can help provide for those needs,” Ansley told Task & Purpose, but added that in some cases, additional support is needed and “it can cost $30 to $35 an hour to hire somebody who can help you with those needs.”
The Wounded Warrior Project is urging Congress to pass the bill to provide veterans and their families with long-term care and support, said Jose Ramos, the group’s vice president of government and community relations.
“By increasing Special Monthly Compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, this legislation would provide meaningful financial support to those who have sacrificed the most,” Ramos told Task & Purpose.
