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Veterans' Compensation COLA Act of 2016

Public Law 114-197 · H.R. 5588 · 114th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Jul 22, 2016 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA-5)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Mike Kelly

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Veterans' Compensation COLA Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2016, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.

Each such increase shall be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance [OASDI]) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.

(Sec. 3) The VA shall publish such increased amounts in the Federal Register not later than the date on which certain OASDI cost-of-living increases are required to be published during FY2017.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

6 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 675Related bill

    Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015

  • H.R. 677Related bill

    American Heroes COLA Act of 2015

  • H.R. 4782Related bill

    Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2016

  • S. 1493Related bill

    Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015

  • S. 2851Related bill

    Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act

  • S. 3032Related bill

    Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2016

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.

  1. Jul 22, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-197.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jul 14, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 13, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Jul 12, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. Jul 11, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5588.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  11. FloorFloor · Mr. Abraham moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  12. Jul 5, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  13. Jun 28, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  14. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.