Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025
The Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025 would amend federal law to ensure that surviving spouses of veterans who die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) receive the increased dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) that is provided for certain service-connected deaths, regardless of how long the veteran had ALS before death. In practical terms, if the Secretary determines that a veteran died from ALS, that death would be treated as meeting the criteria for increased DIC—without considering the duration of the veteran’s ALS illness. The law would apply to veterans who die from ALS on or after October 1, 2022, making the change retroactive to that date. This aims to reduce barriers and provide consistent financial support to families affected by ALS-related veteran deaths.
Key Points
- 1Extends increased Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS, regardless of the length of time the veteran had ALS prior to death.
- 2Creates a new provision (subparagraph B) in 38 U.S.C. § 1311(a)(2) stating that a veteran who died from ALS shall be treated as meeting the criteria for the increased DIC without regard to disease duration.
- 3Applies to deaths occurring on or after October 1, 2022 (retroactive to that date).
- 4The determination rests with the Secretary, who must decide if the veteran died from ALS and, if so, treat the death as meeting the increased DIC criteria.
- 5No other changes to DIC amounts or eligibility are specified beyond this ALS-specific extension; potential fiscal and administrative implications for the Department of Veterans Affairs are not addressed in detail in the bill text.