An act to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide cost-of-living increases in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and in the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children of veterans, to provide for limited grants for special home adaptations for certain severely disabled veterans, to provide for Veterans' Administration guaranties for loans to refinance certain existing veterans' home loans and to increase the maximum loan guaranties for home loans made to veterans, and to provide for the confidentiality of certain Veterans' Administration medical quality assurance records; and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-385 · H.R. 7511 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 7, 1980 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Sonny Montgomery (D-MS-3)
Cosponsors (16): Rep. Chalmers Wylie, Rep. Herbert Roberts,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(House agreed to Senate amendments with amendments)
Veterans' Disability Compensation and Housing Benefits Amendments of 1980 =Title I: Veterans' Disability Compensation Benefits= - Increases the rates of veterans' compensation for: (1) wartime disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for dependents; and (3) clothing allowances paid to certain disabled veterans. Provides such increases at 14.3 percent for veterans rates 50 percent or more disabled, and 13 percent for veterans rated 10 through 40 percent disabled.
=Title II: Survivors' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Benefits= - Increases the rates of veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation for: (1) a surviving spouse; (2) surviving children; and (3) supplemental children's benefits.
=Title III: Special Home Adaptation Grants for Certain Severely Disabled Veterans= - Provides specially adapted housing assistance to severely disabled veterans, due to blindness or loss, or loss of use, of both upper extremities (including both hands), limited to a maximum of $5,000. Directs that such assistance be granted to any such veteran not more than once.
=Title IV: Veterans' Administration Home-Loan Program Amendments= - Enables veterans who have used their Veterans Administration (VA) loan guaranty entitlement for the purchase of a conventional home, condominium, or mobile home to refinance such loan at a lower interest rate with a VA loan refinancing guaranty. Increases the maximum loan guaranty for such dwellings.
Limits the refinancing guaranty to the amount of guaranty on the loan to be refinanced.
=Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions= - Extends the authority for the Veterans' Administration regional office in the Republic of the Philippines until September 30, 1985.
Authorizes the Administrator to furnish headstones and markers, upon request, for specified relatives of veterans who are buried in a State veterans' cemetery.
Removes the prohibition on concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA need-based pension benefits. Provides for pension payments to a hospitalized veteran having neither spouse nor child if such veteran is readmitted within six months of a period of care.
Limits the amount of compensation for a service-connected disability and dependency and indemnity compensation for any veteran imprisoned in a Federal, State, or local penal institution (except as a part of a work-release program) as a result of conviction of a felony. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to apportion and pay to such veteran's spouse, children, or dependent parents the compensation such veteran would have received but for such veteran's incarceration.
Provides for the confidentiality of all records and documents which are part of any Veterans' Administration medical quality assurance program. Stipulates that disclosure of such material may be made only under specified circumstances (unlawful disclosure to be punishable by fine), including: (1) Congressional oversight functions; (2) government or private licensing and accreditation functions; (3) statutory functions; and (4) public health or safety or emergency functions.
Defines "medical quality assurance programs" for purposes of this Act.
Sets forth the minimum number of personnel to be employed by the American Battle Monument Commission for the care and maintenance of the cemeteries, monuments, and memorials under the jurisdiction of such Commission.
Permits the Administrator to convey certain lands to the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for roadway expansion. Requires that any deed of conveyance made for such roadway: (1) does not interfere with the care and treatment of patients in the Veterans' Administration Center in Cheyenne; (2) contains such restrictions necessary to protect the interests of the United States; and (3) provides that any violation of such deed by the city shall result in reversion of the deed to the United States without payment of compensation.
Makes certain technical amendments.
=Title VI: Effective Dates= - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this Act.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Oct 7, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-385.
- Sep 25, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 24, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Sep 18, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments with amendments.
- Aug 6, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 2649.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Jul 21, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House, roll call #402 (383-1).House roll call 402
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Jul 2, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Jun 5, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Veterans' Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.