,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #aegc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #af1  
#bjac,mr4 ,tester 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,heller1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1
 and ,ms4 ,hirono7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to provide for the payment of temporary 
compensation to a surviving spouse of a 
veteran upon the death of the veteran1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,military ,family ,relief ,act4  #b4    
,authorization for temporary payment of 
dependency and indemnity compensation or
 death pension upon the death of a      
veteran  7a7 ,temporary dependency and  
indemnity compensation ,section #acah of
 title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is   
amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating         
subsections 7d7 and 7e7 as subsections  
7e7 and 7f71 respectively2 and  7#b7 by 

inserting after subsection 7c7 the      
following new subsection 7d73  7d7 7#a7 
,notwithstanding subsection 7b7 and     
section #eaja7;a77#a7 of this title and 
subject to paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c71 the
 ,secretary may pay temporary dependency
 and indemnity compensation under this  
chapter to an individual described in   
paragraph 7#b7 without regard to whether
 that individual has submitted a claim  
for such compensation if1 at the time of
 the death of the veteran1 the veteran  
was in receipt of or entitled to receive
 7or but for the receipt of retired or  
retirement pay was entitled to receive7 
compensation for a service-connected    
disability continuously rated as total  
for not less than one year immediately  
preceding the death of the veteran4     
7#b7 ,an individual described in this   
paragraph is an individual determined by
 the ,secretary1 based on evidence in   
the file of the deceased veteran on the 
date of the death of the veteran1 to be 
the surviving spouse of the deceased    

veteran4  7#c7 ,any compensation paid   
under this subsection shall be made for 
a period not to exceed six months       
beginning on the first day of the month 
in which the veteran died4  7#d7 ,no    
individual may receive compensation     
under this subsection and receive during
 the same period-- 7,a7 dependency and  
indemnity compensation under any other  
provision of this title2 or  7,b7       
pension under section #aeda of this     
title1 except as provided in subsection 
7h77#e7 of that section4  4  7b7        
,temporary pension ,section #aeda of    
such title is amended-- 7#a7 by         
redesignating subsection 7h7 as         
subsection 7i72 and  7#b7 by inserting  
after subsection 7g7 the following new  
subsection 7h73  7h7 7#a7               
,notwithstanding section #eaja7;a77#a7  
of this title1 the ,secretary may pay   
pension at the monthly rate of #a_/ab of
 the annual rate specified in subsection
 7b7 to an individual described in      
paragraph 7#b7 without regard to whether

 the individual has submitted a claim   
for such pension if1 at the time of the 
death of the veteran1 the veteran was in
 receipt of pension under section #aeac 
or #aeba of this title as a married     
veteran based on the marriage of the    
veteran to the individual4  7#b7 ,an    
individual described in this paragraph  
is an individual determined by the      
,secretary1 based on evidence in the    
file of the deceased veteran on the date
 of the death of the veteran1 to be the 
surviving spouse of the deceased        
veteran4  7#c7 ,any pension paid under  
this subsection shall be made for a     
period not to exceed six months         
beginning on the first day of the month 
in which the veteran died4  7#d7        
,pension authorized by this subsection  
shall be paid without regard to the     
annual income and net worth of the      
individual4  7#e7 ,if an individual who 
is paid pension under this subsection is
 entitled to pension under another      
provision of this chapter or to         

dependency and indemnity compensation   
under chapter #ac of this title for the 
period for which the individual was paid
 pension under this subsection or any   
part of that period1 the individual     
shall be paid pension under such other  
provision of this chapter or dependency 
and indemnity compensation under chapter
 #ac of this title for that period in   
the amount by which the pension or      
compensation to which the individual is 
entitled exceeds the amount of pension  
paid under this section for that period4
  4  7c7 ,conforming amendment ,section 
#eaja7;a77#a7 of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 is amended by striking ,a
 specific claim and inserting ,except as
 otherwise provided in this title1 a    
specific claim4