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An act to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the rates of compensation for disabled veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors; to express the sense of the Congress that increases in the rates of compensation should take effect on December 1 beginning in fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes.

Public Law 98-223 · S. 1388 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Mar 2, 1984 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY)

Cosponsors (12): Sen. Jeremiah Denton,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateVoice vote
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 and Program Improvements Amendments of 1984 - Title I: Disability Compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation - Part A: Rate Increases - Increases the rates of: (1) veterans' disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for dependents; (3) the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans; (4) dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses according to a specified table; (5) dependency and indemnity compensation for children; and (6) supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for children.

Expresses the sense of Congress that future increases in such compensation should take effect on December 1 of the fiscal year involved.

Part B: Compensation Program Amendments - Creates a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for dysthymic disorder (or depressive neurosis) manifest to a degree of ten percent or more in a veteran who is a former prisoner of war.

Decreases from 60 to 40 percent disabling, the degree of deafness a veteran suffering from service-connected total blindness must be rated to qualify for additional disability compensation.

Reduces from 40 percent to 30 percent disabling the degree of deafness a veteran suffering from service-connected blindness with 5/200 visual acuity or less must be rated to qualify for such additional compensation.

Makes an exception to the commencement of period of payment rule for an increased award of compensation by reason of a temporary increase in compensation for hospitalization or treatment of a veteran (thus making such temporary increase payable before the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the increase becomes effective).

Title II: Veterans' Program Improvements - Includes certain adopted children within the definition of child for veterans' benefits purposes.

Extends by five years, through FY 1989, the authority of the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to make grants to States to assist in the establishment or improvement of State veterans' cemeteries.

Permits a veteran eligible for more than one program of veterans' educational assistance to elect which program, but only one, in which to participate.

Permits the Administrator to exclude from the computation of a veteran's aggregate guaranty or insurance entitlement any amount taken over by any veteran-transferee, not just an immediate veteran-transferee, who consents to use his own entitlement.

Authorizes the Administrator to make guaranteed loans to eligible veterans for manufactured homes permanently affixed to a lot.

Redefines "special disabled veteran" for veterans' preference in Federal contracts purposes, to include veterans rated only 10 or 20 percent disabled if their specific disability is determined to be a serious employment handicap.

Amends the veterans' benefits provisions concerning minors, incompetents' and other wards to permit the Administrator to authorize a Veterans Administration appointed fiduciary to deduct up to four percent of the benefits received by the beneficiary as a commission.

Increases the maximum size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Permits the Chairman to designate a temporary member from the professional staff. Limits such designees to one per section of the Board. Requires the Chairman to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year.

Revises the membership of the special medical advisory group to the Chief Medical Director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Veterans Administration to include qualified, non-professional individuals in such group.

Amends the Veterans' Compensation, Education, and Employment Amendments of 1982 to revise the effective dates respecting Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) coverage for deaths and disabilities incurred before and after FY 1982.

Permits the use of certain excess funds appropriated for Veterans Administration major projects construction for undertaking working drawings in FY 1984 for the construction or alteration of medical facilities in FY 1985.

Makes the Confederate Cemetery at Springfield, Missouri, part of the Springfield National Cemetery.

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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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.

  1. Mar 2, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-223.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Feb 22, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Feb 9, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the amendments of the House by Voice Vote.
  5. Feb 8, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  6. FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Nov 18, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  8. Sep 28, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
  9. Jul 21, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
  10. Jun 8, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
  11. May 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
  12. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.