Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1334 - Removal of Limitation Relating to Pension Payments to Certain Hospitalized Veterans

(House)
(Rep. Applegate (D) OH)

The Administration does not support H.R. 1334. This bill would eliminate the pension reduction to $60 monthly that occurs under current law after a pensioner who has no spouse or children has been furnished hospital care for three months by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Need-based pensions have long been subject to reduction when pensioners are hospitalized by VA for extended periods. The Administration agrees with the reasoning underlying this longstanding practice — namely, that when a veteran has no dependents and is being maintained at Government expense, payment of the full pension benefit is not necessary for income support. Rather, it merely increases the value of the veteran's estate to be inherited by remote heirs.

The Administration would prefer enactment of section 112 of S. 13, the "Veterans Benefits and Health Care Act of 1989," which is currently under consideration in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Under section 112, the amount₍payable to veterans receiving extended care at VA expense in hospitals, nursing homes, and domiciliaries would be increased from $60 to $105 per month. Furthermore, hospitalized pensioners would not have their pensions reduced to that amount until eight months after admission.