House Republicans, led by Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.), Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), and Subcommittee on Disability Assistance & Memorial Affairs Chairman Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), have introduced H.R. 6047, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act. The proposed legislation aims to increase the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) monthly compensation for service-connected, catastrophically disabled veterans and the surviving families of veterans who were either 100% disabled or deceased.
The bill is named after Sharri Briley, widow of Army Special Operations pilot CWO3 Donovan Lee ‘Bull’ Briley, who died during Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu in 1993, and Sergeant Eric Edmundson, an Army veteran severely injured by an IED in Iraq in 2005.
Currently, VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefit provides $1,650 per month. Under H.R. 6047, DIC would be increased by an additional 1% each year above inflation for five years. This change is intended to assist more than half a million families with living expenses.
The legislation also proposes to raise the monthly benefits rate for catastrophically service-connected disabled veterans—such as those with traumatic brain injuries or severe disabilities requiring constant care—by an additional $10,000 annually. This would mark the first significant increase for this group in decades.
Chairman Bost said: “Veteran families like the Briley’s and the Edmundson’s – and the thousands more like them – who have given so much in exchange for their service in uniform have not seen a meaningful increase to their benefits in over 20 years. It’s time we changed that to grant this deserving group of American heroes the affordability they need to comfortably live their lives,” adding that he looks forward to advancing the bill through Congress swiftly.
Rep. Barrett stated: “We can never repay the debt we owe to the men and women who sacrificed life and limb to defend our country, but that should never stop us from trying. This bill is about following through on our promises and making one of the most significant increases to benefits in more than two decades.”
Chairman French Hill commented: “I am proud to join this effort on behalf of families who have endured hardships in service to our nation that most of us will never know... Families like the Brileys and the Edmundsons show remarkable strength in the face of loss and catastrophic injury, and they deserve meaningful support.”
Rep. Hudson added: “This bill delivers long-overdue, commonsense increases for catastrophically injured heroes, surviving spouses, and families who have gone decades without meaningful updates.”
Subcommittee Chairman Luttrell remarked: “For over two decades, far too many veteran families have been left behind to face economic peril due to a lack of an increase in VA benefits.”
Sharri Briley said: "This bill is more than legislation to me; it is a promise kept... The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act honors that sacrifice by providing real, tangible support to survivors and catastrophically disabled veterans."
Edgar Edmundson, father of Sgt (Ret) Eric Edmundson stated: “This Act is recognition of the veterans and families who wake up each morning adjusting to the long-term consequences of service... Our veterans’ needs evolve as they age, and our support must evolve with them.”
A range of veteran service organizations support H.R. 6047 including The American Legion, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), AMVETS, Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Gold Star Spouses of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart USA, Independence Fund, National Military Family Association (NMFA), Gold Star Wives, National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO), Quality of Life Foundation, and Veterans MS Alliance.
Mario A. Marquez from The American Legion noted concerns about proposed offsets involving VA home loan funding fees but reaffirmed support for increasing DIC & SMC pay.
Wounded Warrior Project praised provisions increasing Special Monthly Compensation by $10,000 per year as well as annual increases in DIC.
Paralyzed Veterans of America highlighted that increased benefits would address high costs associated with living with severe disabilities.
Vietnam Veterans of America expressed strong backing for updating outdated benefit structures impacting survivors and severely disabled veterans.
Other organizations such as AMVETS called it meaningful progress toward expanding survivor benefits; Elizabeth Dole Foundation described it as a landmark measure supporting vulnerable veterans; Gold Star Spouses urged swift passage citing relief for over 700,000 families; while representatives from groups like NACVSO emphasized longstanding disparities between VA programs compared with other federal survivor programs.
