Medal of Honor Recipients Could Get $100,000 Annual Pensions Under Bill Proposed in Congress
Medal
of Honor recipients visit Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate National
Medal of Honor Day, Arlington, Va., March 25, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by
Elizabeth Fraser)
Posted: September 17, 2024 --- Military.com | By Rebecca
Kheel
Published September
16, 2024, at 12:49pm ET
Living Medal of Honor recipients could get a
significant boost in their pensions under a bill recently introduced in the U.S.
Senate. Under the Monetary Enhancement for Distinguished Active Legends (MEDAL) Act, the monthly pension for Medal of Honor recipients would jump from
$1,406 per month to $8,333. That's an annual increase from about $16,880
to $100,000.
"Our
Medal of Honor recipients are true heroes whose acts of valor inspire and
humble us," Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the bill's Senate sponsor who is
running for reelection right now in a race he is favored to win, said in a
statement to Military.com prior to the bill being publicized. "Our nation
owes an unpayable debt to our Medal of Honor recipients.
I
am proud to lead the charge in ensuring that our nation supports them in
return. The Senate should expeditiously take up and pass this
legislation." The bill has not been previously
reported. The Senate bill mirrors legislation introduced in the House last year
by House Reps. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., and Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who has been at
the center of a military awards controversy.
The House version of the bill has not seen any movement since being introduced. Congress 1st approved giving Medal of Honor recipients a special pension independent from any other government benefits in 1916. At that time, the rate was $10 per month. Since then, Congress has acted to raise the pension over the years, most recently in 2002 when lawmakers approved a $1,000 monthly payment.
The rate increases each year based on cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security payments, according to current law. If approved, the MEDAL Act would mean Medal of Honor recipients get an annual pension of $100,000. There are 60 living Medal of Honor recipients right now, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Under current law, surviving spouses of Medal of Honor recipients get the same amount of monthly pension as living recipients.
The MEDAL Act would change that, so that surviving spouses get $1,489 per month with annual cost-of-living adjustments, not the $8,333 being proposed for living medal recipients. The Medal of Honor was 1st awarded in 1863 amid the Civil War and recognizes service members who distinguish themselves "through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." Considered the highest military honor in the country, just 3,538 medals have been awarded since its inception, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
