Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026
Key claim: The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 expands veterans benefits by creating an $833.33 supplemental monthly aid-and-attendance allowance, raising dependency and indemnity compensation rates, and broadening VA home loan eligibility for reserve and National Guard members while extending related fee and pension rules through 2036.
Abstract
(HR6047 · 119th Congress) Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 This bill expands specified benefits programs for veterans and their survivors and establishes a supplemental monthly allowance for certain disabled veterans. The bill establishes a supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans who are already eligible for a monthly aid and attendance allowance due to service-connected disabilities or traumatic brain injury. The bill increases the rate of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) by an additional 1% the next time DIC is adjusted for cost of living and an additional 0.5% the following adjustment. DIC is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors of (1) certain veterans who died due to a service-connected condition; (2) service members killed in the line of duty; or (3) veterans who were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period. The bill expands eligibility for loans under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program to certain members of the reserve components and National Guard by expanding what qualifies as active duty. The bill includes annual training duty as qualifying active duty and grants eligibility for VA loan guarantees after 14 days of active-duty service (with an additional fee). Under the VA home loan program, the bill extends certain loan fee rates through September 30, 2036, and increases the fees for certain refinancing loans and loan assumptions. The bill extends the limitation on pension amounts for certain hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through September 30, 2036. Latest action (2026-06-02): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Why this matters
For the Housing & Land Use area, the bill’s main relevance is expanding VA home loan eligibility to more Reserve and National Guard members and extending VA home loan funding fees and pension rules through 2036 — enlarging the buyer pool for zero-down VA-guaranteed mortgages and preserving the fee mechanism that finances the program. Renters and disabled veterans may also see indirect housing-affordability effects from the new aid-and-attendance supplement and higher DIC rates, which increase disposable income available for rent or home maintenance. The provisions are incremental extensions of existing VA housing benefit mechanisms rather than a new program design.