4

1 ranted in the case of any veteran" and inserting in lieu thereof 2 "except (A) in the case of a veteran with a service-con3 nected disability, or (B) where in the judginent of the Ad4 ministrator a longer period is warranted in the case of any 5 other veteran".

6 SEC. 6. (a) Section 622 of such title is amended by 7 inserting "(a)" immediately before "For", and by adding at 8 the end thereof the following new section:

9 “(b) The Administrator is prohibited from requiring 10 any further declaration from the applicant, including state11 ments of assets or liabilities, for the purpose of determining 12 inability to defray necessary expenses."

13

(b) The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs may not, 14 in the administration of the provisions of title 38, United 15 States Code, or of any other veterans' benefit law with 16 respect to pension or disability or indemnity compensa17 tion, require a report, statement, or any other form of 18 declaration with respect to annual income from a person 19 who has attained the age of 67 years.

20

SEC. 7. Sections 902 (a) and 903 (a) of such title are 21 each amended by striking out "$250” and inserting in lieu 22 thereof "$350".

22

23 SEC. 8. Section 5001 (a) (3) of such title is amended

24 by striking out "four thousand" and inserting in licu thereof 25 "eight thousand”.

5

1 SEC. 9. (a) As soon as possible after the beginning of 2 each calendar quarter, the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs 3 shall determine the extent by which the price index in the 4 preceding calendar quarter was higher than the price index 5 in the applicable base period (as those terms are defined 6 in subsection (e)). If he determines that the price index 7 had risen by a percentage (of its level in the base period) 8 equal to 3 per centum or more, the monthly rate of pension or dependency and indemnity compensation otherwise pay10 able to any person under title 38, United States Code, or 11 the first sentence of section 9 (b) of the Veterans' Pension 12 Act of 1959 shall be increased by the same percentage 13 (adjusted to the nearest one-tenth of 1 per centum), effec14 tive with respect to monthly benefits under such title or 15 Act of 1959 for months after the quarter in which the 16 determination is made.

9

17

(b) In the case of any individual who first becomes 18 entitled to a pension or dependency and indemnity compen19 sation under such title in or after the month in which an 20 increase becomes effective under subsection (a), the amount 21 of the monthly rate payable to or with respect to him on 22 the basis of such entitlement shall be determined by applying 23 such increase (or, if more than one increase has become 24 effective under subsection (a), by applying all such increases

6

1 successively) to the amount of the monthly rate which would

2 be payable under the provisions of such title without regard

3

4

to this section.

(c) Any increase under subsection (a) shall apply with 5 respect to all monthly rates payable under such title or such 6 Act of 1959 during the period in which such increase is 7 effective regardless of the provisions under which such 8 monthly rates are payable or the manner in which such 9 amounts are determined, but shall be applied with respect 10 to monthly rates payable to or with respect to any particular 11 individual only after all of the other provisions of such title 12 or Act of 1959 which relate to eligibility for and the amount 13 of such rates, and all prior increases made in such rates under 14 this section, have been applied.

15

(d) If the amount of the increase in any monthly rate 16 under subsection (a) is not a multiple of $0.10, it shall be 17 raised to the next higher multiple of $0.10 in the case of a 18 multiple of $0.05 or adjusted to the nearest multiple of 19 $0.10 in any other case.

(e) For the purposes of this section—

(1) the term "price index" means the Consumer Price Index (all items-United States city average) published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics;

and the average level of the price index for the three

7

1 months in any calendar quarter shall be deemed to be

13

17

the level of the price index in such quarter; and

(2) the term "base period" means—

(A) the calendar quarter commencing July 1,

1965, with respect to the first increase under sub

section (a), and

(B) the calendar quarter immediately preceding the quarter in which the determination consti

tuting the basis of the most recent increase under subsection (a) was made, with respect to any in

crease under subsection (a) after the first such in

crease.

SEC. 10. The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (here14 after referred to as the "Administrator") shall undertake a 15 study and investigation of sites in each of the fifty States 16 for use as Veterans' Administration cemeteries. Upon completion of such study and investigation, the Administrator 18 shall submit to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs 19 and the Senate Finance Committee a report on the results of 20 such study and investigation together with his recommenda21 tion. The Administrator shall thereafter establish, operate, 22 and maintain Veterans' Administration cemeteries at such 23 places within such States as may be designated by the com24 mittees on the basis of the report submitted by him.

8

1 SEC. 11. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) 2 and (c), this Act shall take effect on the date of the 3 enactment of this Act.

4 (b) The first section of this Act shall apply with respect 5 to disability compensation payable for months after June

6 1967.

7 (c) Section 9 of this Act shall apply with respect to 8 increases in monthly rates of pension or dependency and 9 indemnity compensation payable under title 38, United 10 States Code, or the first sentence of section 9 (b) of the 11 Veterans' Pension Act of 1959 for months in and after the

12 second calendar quarter beginning after the date of the 13 enactment of this Act.

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