Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act
This legislation creates a five-year federal initiative to find an estimated 900 Jewish American troops from World War I and World War II who were mistakenly buried under Christian crosses in overseas military cemeteries. The American Battle Monuments Commission will hire a specialized nonprofit organization at $500,000 per year to identify these servicemembers and locate their surviving descendants. To help offset the cost, the bill extends an existing cap on Department of Veterans Affairs pension payments for certain veterans receiving Medicaid-covered nursing home care through January 2032.
What this bill touches.
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Surviving families and descendants of deceased Jewish servicemembersDirects the American Battle Monuments Commission to identify deceased Jewish servicemembers mistakenly buried under non-Jewish markers in overseas military cemeteries and locate and contact their surviving family members and descendants (Sec. 3(a)).
- Nonprofit organizations researching military gravesitesDirects the Commission to award a $500,000 annual contract for five years to a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit to carry out the servicemember identification and family outreach program (Sec. 3(c)).
Who it burdens
- American Battle Monuments CommissionRequires the Commission to establish, oversee, and fund a five-year program and contract with a nonprofit to identify buried Jewish servicemembers and contact their families (Sec. 3(a)-(c)).
- Veterans in Medicaid-covered nursing homesExtends the statutory $90 monthly limit on Department of Veterans Affairs pension payments for certain veterans residing in Medicaid-covered nursing homes from November 30, 2031, through January 31, 2032 (Sec. 4).
The provisions, in plain language.
Requires the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a five-year program to identify deceased Jewish servicemembers buried overseas under non-Jewish grave markers and contact their surviving family members.
Directs the Commission to award a $500,000 annual contract to a qualified nonprofit organization each year for five years to carry out the identification and family outreach efforts.
Extends the $90 monthly limit on Department of Veterans Affairs pension payments for certain veterans receiving Medicaid-covered nursing home care through January 31, 2032.