| Support letter for S.1590 & HR.3790-the Justice for ALS Veterans Act which would provide increased DIC payments ot surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS regardless of how long they had been rated as totally disabled prior to death. Current law allows an additional DIC monthly payments of $331.84 to survivors in the case of a veteran who at the time of death was in receipt of or entitled to received compensation for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death. This extra compensation installment is commonly referred to as the DIC ""kicker"". Individuals diagnosed with ALS only have an average lifespan of between 2-5 years meaning that sadly many veterans are unable to meet the existing 8-year total disability requirements to become eligible for the additional ""kicker"" compensation benefit. |