In committee
Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026
Starting in December 2026, severely disabled veterans who need daily in-home care would receive an extra $833 per month, and surviving military families would receive higher-than-normal cost-of-living increases on their monthly survivor compensation for two years. The legislation also expands VA home loan eligibility to National Guard and Reserve members who complete basic training and serve at least 14 days of active service, subject to a 1% surcharge. To offset spending, the government would increase fees on certain VA mortgage refinances and extend both existing home loan fees and limits on pensions for veterans in Medicaid-funded nursing homes through September 2036.
People affected—The text identifies qualifying categories (veterans receiving aid and attendance under 38 U.S.C. 1114(r)/(t), surviving spouses receiving DIC, and Guard/Reserve members with at least 14 days of qualifying service since Sept. 11, 2001) but provides no population counts.
Fiscal magnitude—The text specifies specific individual benefit rates ($833.33/month supplement, $90/month pension cap) and loan fee percentage modifications, but does not specify total appropriations or aggregate fiscal impact.
Reach48provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Spending vs. restraintVeterans' care delivery+15Role of government+20Welfare & anti-poverty+12
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Severely disabled veterans receiving aid and attendance compensationReceives an additional monthly supplemental allowance of $833.33 starting December 1, 2026, under Section 2(a).
- Surviving spouses receiving dependency and indemnity compensationReceives increases to monthly dependency and indemnity compensation payments above standard cost-of-living adjustments (an extra 1.0 percent on the first adjustment after December 1, 2026, and an extra 0.5 percent on the second) under Section 2(b).
- National Guard and Reserve membersGains eligibility for VA-guaranteed home loans after serving at least 14 days of qualifying active service and completing entry-level and skill training, with service recognized back to September 11, 2001, under Section 5.
Who it burdens
- Veterans without dependents in Medicaid-covered nursing homesHas the $90 monthly cap on VA pension payments extended through September 30, 2036, instead of expiring in January 2033, under Section 4.
- Newly eligible National Guard and Reserve home loan borrowersPays an extra 1.00 percent statutory fee on their VA home loan on top of the standard loan fees charged to other borrowers under Section 5(c)(3).
- Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of DefenseMust coordinate to inform National Guard and Reserve personnel of their VA home loan eligibility when they complete initial entry and skill training under Section 5(c)(4).
Who backs it
- VA home loan borrowersPays higher statutory fees on certain refinancing loans (raised from 0.50 to 1.42 percent) and loan assumptions (raised from 0.50 to 1.0 percent), and faces an extension of standard VA loan fee rates through September 30, 2036, under Section 3.