House Passes Bill Targeting Benefit Increases for Veterans with Mesothelioma

A new Congressional bill looking to expand benefits for veterans with service-related conditions has passed the United States House of Representatives, and could be on its way to providing more monetary support for veterans with the rare and aggressive cancer mesothelioma.

H.R. 6047 – or the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 – passed the House with bipartisan support, with 30 Democrats crossing the aisle and voting for the bill introduced by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan. 

Although the bill still has multiple hurdles to pass before it becomes law, this initial success provides some hope that some more help may be on the way for veterans suffering from mesothelioma.

What H.R. 6047 Would Do for Veterans With Mesothelioma

If H.R. 6047 passes and becomes law, veterans with mesothelioma and their families could see benefit increases in a few key areas. First, veterans who need Aid & Attendance – meaning that they require the assistance of another person to perform daily living activities – due to service-related conditions such as mesothelioma will be eligible to an additional supplementary monthly allowance of $833.33, coming to $10,000 a year.

In addition, surviving spouses, children and dependents of veterans who died from service-related conditions such as mesothelioma would receive cost-of-living rate adjustments to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation of an additional 1.5%.

The bill also includes provisions for expansion of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loans and extends limits on pension payments aside from these programs. Although not all veterans receiving Aid & Attendance may be eligible for the additionally monthly allowance, the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation increase will apply to all recipients.

Why Benefits Matter for Veterans With Mesothelioma

Military service is one of the top occupations that has been linked to asbestos exposure, which is the only known cause of the aggressive cancer mesothelioma, giving these potential benefit increases a particular relevance.

Veterans were frequently exposed to asbestos while living and working in ships, aircraft or in barracks, with asbestos use peaking during World War II but continuing through the Cold War era until the 1990s. As such, veterans represent around 30% of all mesothelioma diagnoses in the United States, despite representing only 7% of the nation’s population.

The VA provides a number of benefits for veterans with mesothelioma, including monthly Disability Compensation if at least 50% of their occupational exposure to asbestos occurred in the military. However, these benefits often have not kept up with inflation, meaning these potential updates carry an even larger importance.

To learn more about your military service and the connection to asbestos exposure, connect with our veterans patient advocate, retired LCDR Carl Jewett.

What’s Next for H.R. 6047

Although passing the House of Representatives is the first step on its way to becoming law, H.R. 6047 faces additional hurdles. The bill has to pass a committee review and a Senate floor vote before being signed into law by the President, and the bill has accordingly been referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

The process for a bill to get through the committee stage and to a floor vote often takes several months, but the bill’s bipartisan support in the House and the Republican-controlled Senate means that it likely has a strong chance of passing this stage as well.

Sources & Author

1. H.R.6047 – Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026. Congress.gov. Retrieved from: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6047/text. Accessed: 06/25/2026.

About the Writer, David Statman

David Statman is a Content Writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He received both his bachelor's and master's in journalism from West Virginia University, and has been in medical publishing since January 2022. He previously worked in sports journalism, primarily reporting on West Virginia sports for a number of publications.

He lives in Delaware with his wife, dog and two cats, and avidly competes as a professional wrestler in the Philadelphia area.