MEDAL Act of 2025
The MEDAL Act of 2025 (S. 214) would dramatically increase the monthly “special pension” paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs to Medal of Honor recipients and, to a lesser extent, to the surviving spouses of those recipients. The bill codifies the current statutory framework for a Medal of Honor special pension and replaces the living-recipient payout with a new, much higher monthly amount of $8,333.33. It also changes the surviving-spouse pension to be paid monthly at a base rate of $1,406.73, with future adjustments to be determined under a referenced but not included subsection (e) of the same section. The bill’s short title is the Monetary Enhancement for Distinguished Active Legends Act of 2025 (MEDAL Act of 2025). It was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Cruz (with Sen. Cotton) on January 23, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. In short, if enacted, living Medal of Honor recipients would receive a substantially higher monthly pension, and surviving spouses would receive a defined—but smaller—monthly amount, with future adjustments unspecified in the excerpt. The bill also frames Medal of Honor recipients as exemplary figures and reiterates the purpose of the current special pension program under 38 U.S.C. §1562.
Key Points
- 1Substantial pay increase for living Medal of Honor recipients: the monthly special pension would rise from $1,406.73 to $8,333.33.
- 2Surviving spouses’ pension: the monthly amount for surviving spouses would be set at the rate of $1,406.73, with adjustments to be made over time under a referenced subsection (e).
- 3Mechanism and basis: the bill amends title 38, United States Code, §1562 to implement these changes and restates the statutory framework for Medal of Honor pensions.
- 4Adjustment language: the proposal includes a clause tying future changes to an adjustment mechanism described in subsection (e), which is not included in the provided text, leaving the specifics of future increases to be determined by that (unshown) provision.
- 5Legislative status: introduced in the Senate on January 23, 2025 by Sen. Cruz (for himself and Sen. Cotton) and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; no further action shown in the provided text.