H.R. 1685 — Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2025

This section revises the eligibility criteria for increased dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) rates under 38 U.S.C. 1311(a)(2)—which provides higher monthly payments to eligible surviving spouses of veterans whose death resulted from a service-connected disability rated totally disabling for at least eight years (or a specified combination of active duty and disability periods)—to treat veterans who die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as qualifying without regard to disease duration prior to death, provided the surviving spouse was married to the veteran continuously for eight years or more before death. The changes apply to veterans dying on or after October 1, 2025.

This section requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, not later than 180 days after enactment, to submit to Congress a report identifying any service-connected disability other than amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that should be treated the same as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis under 38 U.S.C. 1311(a)(2)(B)-(C), as added by section 2. The report must include (1) a comprehensive list of service-connected disabilities with high mortality rates and (2) detailed information on the average life expectancy for persons with each such disability.