{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-announces-bipartisan-legislation-expanding-veteran-burial-benefits", "Peters Announces Bipartisan Legislation Expanding Veteran Burial Benefits", "2022-09-28", "2022", "2022-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013\u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) announced bipartisan legislation \u2013 the Gerald\u2019s Law Act \u2013 that would expand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) burial benefits eligibility to terminally ill veterans who pass away at a non-VA facility while receiving hospice care. The legislation was named after late Michigan veteran Gerald \u201cJerry\u201d Elliott of Kingsford who did not receive VA burial benefits since he passed away at home.\n\nUnder current law, the VA will cover nearly $800 toward burial and funeral expenses only if the veteran is hospitalized at the VA at the time of death. This legislation would update the department\u2019s policy, ensuring veterans aren\u2019t penalized for spending their last days in the comfort of their homes or other settings. Denise Formolo, the Veterans Service Officer for Dickinson County, raised this issue with Senator Peters\u2019 office and shared the heartbreaking story of the Elliott family \u2013 inspiring this legislation.\n\n\u201cVeterans who have served and sacrificed for our country should be treated equally based on their service, and not be penalized due to the circumstances at their time of death,\u201d said Senator Peters, a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u201cThis bipartisan bill would take important steps to fix the VA\u2019s burial benefit system because we owe it our veterans and their families to ensure they are properly laid to rest with dignity and respect. We cannot allow what happened to Gerald and his loved ones to continue.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is my great honor as a County Veteran Service Officer to have brought this issue forward to the Congress and Senate to help our Veterans and their dependents in their time of sorrow,\u201d said Denise Formolo, Veteran Service Officer at Dickinson County Veterans Affairs. \u201cKnowing that they would still be able to receive the burial benefit helps the Veteran to be able to make the decision to go home and be surrounded by his/her family and friends in their final days. I am honored to have been able to have this bill be named after Gerald Elliot, one of our county veterans, and appreciate Senator Peters\u2019 leadership on this legislation.\u201d\n\n\"The VFW supports the Gerald\u2019s Law Act which would allow terminally ill veterans who have been hospitalized at VA, but then choose to spend their final days in hospice at home, to receive the full VA burial allowance,\u201d said VFW Assistant Legislative Director Kristina Keenan. \u201cThis common-sense legislation would ensure that veterans under VA care can make the best choice for themselves during their final days without the fear of losing this important benefit. The VFW thanks Senator Peters and Senator Boozman for their support of this important legislation.\"\n\nThe Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the National Association for Country Veterans Service Officers, With Honor and The Independence Fund support Gerald\u2019s Law Act.\n\nPeters introduced the legislation with U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Colin Allred (D-TX).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-announces-bipartisan-legislation-expanding-veteran-burial-benefits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7600948922336102, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}