Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026
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Would create a new $833.33 monthly supplemental payment for severely disabled veterans already receiving aid-and-attendance benefits, and would boost survivor compensation rates above the usual cost-of-living adjustment for two years.
It would also expand VA home loan eligibility to more National Guard and Reserve members, extend certain loan fee schedules and pension payment limits through 2036, and raise some VA loan fees for refinancing and short-service borrowers.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would add a new supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans already eligible for aid-and-attendance payments due to service-connected disabilities or traumatic brain injury, starting December 1, 2026. It would also increase dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) paid to survivors by an extra 1% at the next cost-of-living adjustment and an extra 0.5% at the following one. Separately, it would broaden what counts as "active duty" for VA home loan eligibility to include annual training duty and certain National Guard service, and would let people with as little as 14 days of qualifying active duty and completed training obtain a VA loan guarantee, subject to an added fee. The bill would also extend existing VA home loan fee rates and a pension payment limitation for hospitalized veterans through September 30, 2036, while raising fees for certain refinancing loans, loan assumptions, and short-service borrowers. It does not change basic eligibility for other VA benefits or restructure the broader VA benefits system.
Key provisions
- 1Would create a new supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans eligible for aid-and-attendance compensation, effective December 1, 2026
- 2Would increase dependency and indemnity compensation by an extra 1% at the next cost-of-living adjustment and 0.5% at the following adjustment
- 3Would extend certain VA home loan fee rates through September 30, 2036, and raise fees for certain refinancing loans and loan assumptions
- 4Would extend the pension payment limitation for hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through September 30, 2036
- 5Would expand the definition of qualifying active duty to include annual training duty and certain National Guard service for VA home loan eligibility
- 6Would allow individuals with at least 14 days of qualifying active duty and completed entry-level training to obtain VA loan guarantees, subject to an additional fee
- 7Would require the VA to notify the Department of Defense so eligible service members are informed of their new housing loan eligibility
Who would be affected
Severely disabled veterans receiving aid-and-attendance benefits, survivors of veterans and service members eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation, members of the reserve components and National Guard seeking VA home loans, veterans refinancing VA-backed loans or assuming existing loans, and the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, which would administer and publicize these changes.
Why it matters
Disabled veterans needing aid and attendance would receive a new fixed monthly payment on top of existing compensation, and survivors would see faster-growing benefits for two adjustment cycles. Reserve and National Guard members with shorter service records would gain new access to VA-backed home loans, though some borrowers would pay higher fees, and certain loan and pension provisions would continue for another decade.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1114 (Sec. 2(a))
Adds a new subsection creating a $833.33 supplemental monthly allowance for veterans eligible for aid-and-attendance compensation
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 5312 (Sec. 2(b))
Adds a provision increasing dependency and indemnity compensation rates by an extra 1% then 0.5% at the next two cost-of-living adjustments
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3729(b)(2) (Sec. 3)
Extends loan fee rates through September 30, 2036 and raises certain refinancing and assumption loan fee percentages
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 5503(d)(7) (Sec. 4)
Extends the pension payment limitation for hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through September 30, 2036
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3701(b) (Sec. 5)
Expands the definition of active duty and veteran status to include more reserve, National Guard, and short-service personnel for home loan eligibility
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3702(a)(2) (Sec. 5(c)(2))
Adds newly eligible short-service individuals to the list entitled to basic VA loan guarantee entitlement
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3729(b)(4) (Sec. 5(c)(3))
Adds an additional 1.00 percentage point loan fee for veterans eligible only under the new short-service provision
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- The new supplemental aid-and-attendance allowance
- The increased dependency and indemnity compensation rates
- Extended VA home loan fee rates
- Extended pension payment limitation for hospitalized veterans
- Expanded active-duty definition for home loan eligibility applies retroactively
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates H.R. 6047 would reduce the deficit by $42 million over the 2026–2036 period, but increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion in each of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037.
Over the 2026–2036 period, the bill would increase direct spending by $508 million through 2031 but yield net savings thereafter, resulting in a net reduction of $42 million in direct spending over the full 10-year window; it would also increase discretionary spending subject to appropriation by $65 million over that same period. The main cost drivers are a $3 billion increase in outlays for dependency and indemnity compensation (enhanced cost-of-living adjustments for surviving dependents of certain veterans) and a $1 billion increase for a new monthly disability benefit for veterans receiving aid and attendance allowances, offset by approximately $4 billion in savings from higher VA home loan guarantee fees and expanded reserve-component eligibility. CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, but noted that the bill would increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion—and on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion—in each of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037.
How implementation would work
The Department of Veterans Affairs would automatically begin paying the new supplemental allowance and adjusted DIC rates to already-eligible recipients on set dates without a separate application. For home loans, the VA would apply the broadened active-duty and veteran definitions when processing guarantee applications, charging an added fee to newly eligible short-service borrowers. The VA would also notify the Department of Defense so it can inform reserve and National Guard members completing training of their new loan eligibility, and updated fee tables would apply automatically to loans closed after enactment.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill expands specified benefits programs for veterans and their survivors and establishes a supplemental monthly allowance for certain disabled veterans.
The bill establishes a supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans who are already eligible for a monthly aid and attendance allowance due to service-connected disabilities or traumatic brain injury.
The bill increases the rate of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) by an additional 1% the next time DIC is adjusted for cost of living and an additional 0.5% the following adjustment. DIC is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors of (1) certain veterans who died due to a service-connected condition; (2) service members killed in the line of duty; or (3) veterans who were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period.
The bill expands eligibility for loans under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program to certain members of the reserve components and National Guard by expanding what qualifies as active duty. The bill includes annual training duty as qualifying active duty and grants eligibility for VA loan guarantees after 14 days of active-duty service (with an additional fee).
Under the VA home loan program, the bill extends certain loan fee rates through September 30, 2036, and increases the fees for certain refinancing loans and loan assumptions.
The bill extends the limitation on pension amounts for certain hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through September 30, 2036.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Government lending and loan guarantees; Housing finance and home ownership; User charges and fees; Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs; Veterans' pensions and compensation
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-577