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H.R. 2138

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 2138, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025, was introduced in the House on Mar 14, 2025 by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R) with 12 co-sponsors. It was referred to Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, and last saw action on Mar 26, 2025: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Record

Text

H.R. 2138 has 12 co-sponsors.

hb2138/introduced-in-house.txt
85 HR 2138 IH: Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-03-14
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 2138  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   March 14, 2025   Mr. Luttrell  (for himself,  Mr. McGarvey ,  Mr. Weber of Texas , and  Mr. Pfluger ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Veterans' Affairs    A BILL
To increase, effective as of December 1, 2025, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025  .
2.
Increase in rates of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation
(a)
Rate adjustment
Effective on December 1, 2025, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase, in accordance with subsection (c), the dollar amounts in effect on November 30, 2025, for the payment of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation under the provisions specified in subsection (b).
(b)
Amounts To be increased
The dollar amounts to be increased pursuant to subsection (a) are the following:
(1)
Wartime disability compensation
Each of the dollar amounts under section 1114 of title 38, United States Code.
(2)
Additional compensation for dependents
Each of the dollar amounts under section 1115(1) of such title.
(3)
Clothing allowance
The dollar amount under section 1162 of such title.
(4)
Dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouse
Each of the dollar amounts under subsections (a) through (d) of section 1311 of such title.
(5)
Dependency and indemnity compensation to children
Each of the dollar amounts under sections 1313(a) and 1314 of such title.
(c)
Determination of Increase
Each dollar amount described in subsection (b) shall be increased by the same percentage as the percentage by which benefit amounts payable under title II of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 401 et seq. ) are increased effective December 1, 2025, as a result of a determination under section 215(i) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 415(i) ).
(d)
Special rule
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may adjust administratively, consistent with the increases made under subsection (a), the rates of disability compensation payable to persons under section 10 of  Public Law 85–857  (72 Stat. 1263) who have not received compensation under  chapter 11  of title 38, United States Code.
3.
Publication of adjusted rates
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish in the Federal Register the amounts specified in section 2(b), as increased under that section, not later than the date on which the matters specified in section 215(i)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)(D) ) are required to be published by reason of a determination made under section 215(i) of such Act during fiscal year 2026.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-03-14
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House Mar 14, 2025

hb2138/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (03/14/2025)

Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase the amounts payable for wartime disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Specifically, the VA must increase the amounts by the same percentage as the cost-of-living increase in benefits for Social Security recipients that is effective on December 1, 2025. The bill requires the VA to publish the amounts payable, as increased, in the Federal Register.

The VA is authorized to make a similar adjustment to the rates of disability compensation payable to persons who have not received compensation for service-connected disability or death.

Sponsors

Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R) sponsors H.R. 2138, and 12 members have co-sponsored it, 3 of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 2138 went before 2 committees: Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee and Veterans' Affairs.

Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Hearings By (subcommittee) · Mar 26, 2025 · 62 Bills
Veterans' Affairs
Veterans' Affairs
Referred To · Mar 14, 2025 · 285 Bills

Actions

H.R. 2138 has taken 4 actions since Mar 14, 2025, the latest on Mar 26, 2025.

ChamberAction
Mar 26, 2025
House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Mar 26, 2025
House
Subcommittee Hearings HeldDisability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Mar 14, 2025
House
Introduced in House
Mar 14, 2025
House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.Veterans' Affairs Committee

Votes

H.R. 2138 has not gone to a roll call.

3 bills are related to H.R. 2138.

Titles

H.R. 2138 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025 — Display Title
  • Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025 — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To increase, effective as of December 1, 2025, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

2 clients hired 2 firms and 19 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 2138 in 12 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Veterans, Budget/Appropriations, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Government Issues, Medical/Disease Research/Clinical Labs, Medicare/Medicaid, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Transportation.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS—District of Columbia16—
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA—District of Columbia16—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS16—
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA16—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
HEATHER ANSLEY116
JEREMY VILLANUEVA116
JON RETZER116
JULIE HOWELL116
MORGAN BROWN116
NAOMI MATHIS116
PETER DICKINSON116
SHAMALA CAPIZZI116
JOSEPH LEMAY115
SHANE LIERMANN115
ANTHONYA JAMES114
JOY ILEM114
LISA ELIJAH114
ANTHONYA HOLLINS112
DANICA GONZALVES112
JENNIFER HUNT112
KEVIN MILLER112
MARQUIS BAREFIELD112
ROSCOE BUTLER112

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2026 first_quarter$175.9K1st Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2025 fourth_quarter$161.3K4th Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2026 second_quarter$149.2K2nd Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2025 third_quarter$141.4K3rd Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2025 second_quarter$141.4K2nd Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2025 first_quarter$141.4K1st Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2026 second_quarter$112.1K2nd Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2026 first_quarter$108.2K1st Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2025 second_quarter$89.2K2nd Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2025 first_quarter$88.6K1st Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2025 fourth_quarter$87.2K4th Quarter - Report
PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICAPARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA2025 third_quarter$87.2K3rd Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 2138 under Armed Forces and National Security, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 5 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 2138’s is Armed Forces and National Security.

hr2138/policy-areas.txt
Armed Forces and National SecurityAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 2138 carries 5 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Administrative law and regulatory procedures to Veterans' pensions and compensation.

hr2138/subjects.txt
Administrative law and regulatory proceduresDepartment of Veterans AffairsDisability assistanceInflation and pricesVeterans' pensions and compensation

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 2138, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. LUTTRELL:H.R. 2138.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, Congresshas the power ``To make all Laws which shall be necessary andproper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, andall other Powers vested by this Constitution in theGovernment of the United States, or in any Department orOfficer thereof.''[Page H1163]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com