Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2013

Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2013 - Excludes from annual income, for purposes of eligibility for pensions for veterans and their surviving spouses and children, reimbursements resulting from: (1) any accident; (2) any theft or loss; (3) any casualty loss; (4) medical expenses resulting from any such accident, theft, or loss; and (5) pain and suffering (including insurance settlement payments and general damages awarded by a court) related to such accident, theft, or loss.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1438 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1438

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to exempt reimbursements of 
certain medical expenses and other payments related to accident, theft, 
   loss, or casualty loss from determinations of annual income with 
respect to pensions for veterans and surviving spouses and children of 
                   veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 9, 2013

   Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Mica, Mr. 
Cohen, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Bass, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mrs. Christensen, 
  Mr. Welch, Mr. Grayson, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. 
  Deutch, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Faleomavaega, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Michelle 
   Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of 
 California, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Gabbard, and Ms. Brown of 
   Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to exempt reimbursements of 
certain medical expenses and other payments related to accident, theft, 
   loss, or casualty loss from determinations of annual income with 
respect to pensions for veterans and surviving spouses and children of 
                   veterans, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN REIMBURSEMENTS OF MEDICAL EXPENSES AND 
              OTHER PAYMENTS FROM DETERMINATION OF ANNUAL INCOME WITH 
              RESPECT TO PENSIONS FOR VETERANS AND SURVIVING SPOUSES 
              AND CHILDREN OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (5) of section 1503(a) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
            ``(5) payments regarding--
                    ``(A) reimbursements of any kind (including 
                insurance settlement payments) for--
                            ``(i) expenses related to the repayment, 
                        replacement, or repair of equipment, vehicles, 
                        items, money, or property resulting from--
                                    ``(I) any accident (as defined by 
                                the Secretary), but the amount excluded 
                                under this subclause shall not exceed 
                                the greater of the fair market value or 
                                reasonable replacement value of the 
                                equipment or vehicle involved at the 
                                time immediately preceding the 
                                accident;
                                    ``(II) any theft or loss (as 
                                defined by the Secretary), but the 
                                amount excluded under this subclause 
                                shall not exceed the greater of the 
                                fair market value or reasonable 
                                replacement value of the item or the 
                                amount of the money (including legal 
                                tender of the United States or of a 
                                foreign country) involved at the time 
                                immediately preceding the theft or 
                                loss; or
                                    ``(III) any casualty loss (as 
                                defined by the Secretary), but the 
                                amount excluded under this subclause 
                                shall not exceed the greater of the 
                                fair market value or reasonable 
                                replacement value of the property 
                                involved at the time immediately 
                                preceding the casualty loss; and
                            ``(ii) medical expenses resulting from any 
                        accident, theft, loss, or casualty loss (as 
                        defined by the Secretary), but the amount 
                        excluded under this clause shall not exceed the 
                        costs of medical care provided to the victim of 
                        the accident, theft, loss, or casualty loss; 
                        and
                    ``(B) pain and suffering (including insurance 
                settlement payments and general damages awarded by a 
                court) related to an accident, theft, loss, or casualty 
                loss, but the amount excluded under this subparagraph 
                shall not exceed an amount determined by the Secretary 
                on a case-by-case basis;''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>