 Hello everyone. I'm Shane with DAV's National Legislative Team here in Washington DC. Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10th at 1.30pm, the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs is holding a legislative hearing that will address 12 different bills. To view the hearing online, please see the link that we have provided along with this video. The exciting news is that two of these bills are part of DAV's 2024 Critical Policy Goals and are of importance to you, your families, caregivers, and survivors. The first one is HR 1083, the Caring for Survivors Act, which would increase the rate of compensation for dependency and indemnity compensation known as DIC. Survivors who rely solely on DIC benefits face significant financial hardships after the death of their loved one. For example, a veteran who was married and receiving compensation at the 100% rate would be paid roughly $3946 a month. The current DIC amount for a survivor is $1612 a month, about 41% of what the veteran receives at 100%. In contrast, monthly benefits for survivors of federal civil service retirees are calculated as 55% of their retirement. This difference provides an inequity for survivors of our nation's heroes compared to survivors of federal employees. The Caring for Survivors Act would require DIC payments to be increased and be at 55% of what a 100% veteran receives, therefore providing equity. If a veteran is 100% disabled to include unemployability for 10 consecutive years prior to their death, their surviving spouse and minor children are eligible for DIC benefits even if the death is not considered service-connected. The Caring for Survivors Act would modify the DIC program and institute a partial DIC benefit starting at five years after a veteran is rated totally disabled and reaching full entitlement at 10 years. This would mean if a veteran is rated as totally disabled for five years and passes, a survivor would be eligible for 50% of the total DIC benefit, increasing until the 10-year threshold and the maximum DIC amount is awarded. The second bill is HR 3615, The Love Lives On Act. Currently, if a surviving spouse remarries before the age of 55, they lose their DIC benefits. Removing the remarriage age for surviving spouses has been a long-standing issue for DAV. Surviving spouses who are currently in receipt of DIC benefits should never have to worry about losing their benefits if they remarry before age 55. The hearing will also concern two other pieces of legislation that are very important to note. One, HR 7777, the Veterans Compensation Costs of Living Adjustment or COLA Act, would increase compensation rates for 2025 for VA benefits including clothing allowance and DIC. DAV strongly supports this as without annual COLA's, many disabled veterans who sacrifice their own health and family life for the good of our nation may not be able to maintain the quality of life they and their families deserve. And finally, HR 7816, the Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act, would require a third party to review the notices and letters issued by the VA to veterans and other claimants. As we noted at a recent hearing, it is evident that VA letters speak a language veterans cannot always translate. Thank you again and we encourage you to check out the hearing on Wednesday and follow the conversation involving all 12 bills, but specifically these four very important issues. Thank you.