Senator Kim Introduces First Bill as U.S. Senator, Joins with Senator Daines to Improve Access to VA Benefits

WASHINGTON DC – Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act to prevent the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) from retroactively collecting already approved pension benefits from a veterans’ family after the death of the beneficiary. The bipartisan legislation is the first bill Senator Kim has introduced as a U.S. Senator.

“Our nation’s promise to have veterans’ backs must extend to their families, who for their own service and sacrifices, deserve the full support of a grateful nation,” said Senator Kim. “I am proud to bring this legislation forward as my first bill introduced as a U.S. Senator to reaffirm our support for our military community and make sure no other military family has to carry these financial burdens while mourning their loved one.”

“Our veterans have served our country at the highest level and deserve our full support. Their families should not be concerned about VA collections calls in their time of grieving because of the VA’s bureaucracy. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to improve the pension benefits payments process and ensure that our veteran families are not encumbered with prorated benefits programs,” said Senator Daines.

The bipartisan Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act would help ensure veterans receive their accrued pension benefit even in the event of a Month of Death claim, which is a benefit paid to a surviving spouse of a veteran who was receiving VA compensation or pension benefits when they died, or if payment for the month of the death has been issued. This bill improves the VA’s process of issuing pension benefits by preventing the VA from collecting pension benefits that were approved before the death but paid out afterwards due to processing delays at the VA Pension Management Center.

This legislation, which Senator Kim previously introduced as a member of the House of Representatives with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) in 2023, has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Military Family Association.

“As the Commander of the Department of New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars, I fully support the legislative efforts represented by this bill, which ensures timely and fair benefits for our veterans and their families. This amendment strengthens the system of support our heroes deserve, especially in the difficult times following the loss of a loved one. It is our duty to honor their service by providing the benefits they have earned, and this bill helps to ensure that promise is upheld,” said Luddie H. Austin, Commander, Department of New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

Bill text for the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act can be found here.

As a Member of the House of Representatives, Senator Kim fought for local veterans, including securing a brand new state-of-the-art VA health clinic in Ocean County that opened in October 2024. He also voted to pass the Honoring Our PACT Act into law to expand millions of veterans’ healthcare who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, helped double America’s investment in veteran suicide prevention outreach programs, and delivered direct funding to provide veterans transportation to medical appointments. Additionally, Senator Kim introduced legislation to honor Buffalo Soldiers with the Congressional Gold Medal and the Protecting Our Veterans’ Memories Act to help state-run veteran cemeteries properly honor those who served our nation..

For his service on behalf of servicemembers, veterans, and military families, Senator Kim was awarded the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars Legislator of the Year Award in 2022 and 2024 and the State of New Jersey Civilian Meritorious Service Award in 2023.