Medal of Honor recipients may soon be getting a significant pay increase as a result of legislation that would quadruple their pensions.
The Medal of Honor Act, introduced by Reps. Troy Nehls (T-TX) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) unanimously passed the House of Representatives in a bipartisan 424-0 vote on Feb. 26.
If passed by the Senate and signed by the president, the measure would increase pay for Medal of Honor recipients from $16,880 per year to $67,500 per year.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration and is awarded to service members distinguished for their bravery in service to the country.
The first Medal of Honor was awarded to Army Private Jacob Parrott in 1863. Since then, there have been 3,535 Medal of Honor recipients, with 61 currently living. In 1916, Congress created a special pension for recipients of $10 per month for life. In 1961, Congress raised the monthly payment from $10 to $100. The last congressional pension raise was in 2002 when the pension was raised to $1,000 per month. The current Medal of Honor pension is set at $1,406.73 per month, without cost-of-living adjustments. If enacted into law, would be the first congressional pension raise for Medal of Honor Recipients since 2002.
Nehls and Pappas have said the increase would also help MOH recipients pay for travel expenses they incur while traveling for speaking engagements.
Medal of Honor pensions are covered through Department of Veterans Affairs disability funding. A measure limiting pensions for veterans with no spouses or dependents would be extended from 2031 to 2033 as a means of limiting costs associated with the pay increase.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.