Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025
Key claim: The Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025 would let surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS receive increased dependency and indemnity compensation without the current eight-year total-disability rating requirement, and would require the VA to report on other disabilities that should be treated the same way.
Abstract
(HR1685 · 119th Congress) Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025 This bill extends increased dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) regardless of how long the veteran had such disease prior to death. Under current law, such compensation is paid for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death. For purposes of compensation for a surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from ALS, the spouse must have been married to the veteran for a continuous period of eight years or longer prior to the death of the veteran. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must report on service-connected disabilities the VA determines should be treated in the same manner as ALS for purposes of dependency and indemnity compensation. Latest action (2026-02-03): Subcommittee Hearings Held
Why this matters
DIC is the primary VA cash benefit for surviving spouses of service-connected deaths, and the current 8-year rating rule excludes families of veterans whose ALS progressed rapidly to death. The bill narrows that gap for a specific disease with well-documented military service links, and its reporting requirement could set the stage for further condition-specific carve-outs from the 8-year threshold, with modest but recurring fiscal impact on VA compensation accounts.