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H.R. 3123119th CongressArmed Forces and National Security
Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act
Sponsored by Rep. Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY) · 2 active : 2 Democrats
Latest action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Where it standsPassed House, now in the Senate8 senators score as swing votes
Passed House
- House: passedFeb 2, 2026
- Senate: next
- President: not yet
Summary
, via Congress.govErnest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act
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This bill establishes procedures for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a pension that was due but unpaid at the time of a veteran’s death. Specifically, if the VA issues a decision awarding entitlement to a pension to a veteran prior to the veteran’s death but issues the payment after the veteran dies, the pension must be paid to the first available recipient on the following list: (1) the veteran’s living spouse; (2) the veteran’s living children; (3) the veteran’s living dependent parents; or (4) the estate of the veteran, unless the estate will escheat (i.e., transfer to the state). To be eligible for such pension payments, a claimant of accrued benefits must file an application within one year after the veteran's death.
If no application for accrued benefits is filed within one year following the death of the veteran, the pension must be paid to the veteran’s estate unless the estate will escheat.
How the projections held up
Each member’s recorded vote compared with their swing projection from before the vote. A member by voting against most of their own party.
House
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as AmendedPassed405 yea, 1 nayFebruary 2, 2026 · Roll call 50
| BandBand before the vote | VotedVoted yea or nay | BrokeBroke with party | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swing | 54 | 0 | 0% |
| Middle | 234 | 1 | 0% |
| Entrenched | 113 | 0 | 0% |
Committees and subjects
Committees
- House Committee on Veterans' Affairs · HouseReported by · Markup by · Discharged from · Referred to
- Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs · HouseHearings by (subcommittee) · Referred to
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs · SenateReferred to
Subjects
- Family relationships
- Veterans' pensions and compensation
Model
Directional: count only breaks toward the other partyWhy do scores change?v3default (selected)v2 model swing-v2
How the Senate breaks down
- 8Swing 70–100
- 78Middle 30–70
- 14Entrenched 0–30
Members fall into . All 100 senators have enough data to score.
Key players in the Senate
Ranked by swing score, 0–100 · swing-v3, directional: only movement toward the other party counts, so members who sit further from the center than their party no longer score as swing votes.
Bars show each input from 0 to 100: ideology gap, scorecard gap, , and the . is the seat’s partisan lean, and shows how much of the input data a score has.
Similar past votes, Senate
Earlier behind swing-v3’s inputLoading similar votes
Cosponsors
2 activeHow the swing score works
Ideology gapHow far a member’s DW-NOMINATE voting score sits from their party’s median in the same chamber.
Scorecard gapHow far their Heritage Action and LCV ratings stray from their party’s average, using the groups’ votes on similar bills where available.
Cross-pressureHow strongly their district or state leans toward the other party, from our own computed partisan lean.
Similar votesHow often they voted against their own party on earlier roll calls about this bill or similar ones.
Committee bonusMembers of the committees handling the bill decide whether it moves, so they get a boost.
Cosponsor checkThe sponsor and active cosponsors have already committed, so they drop toward entrenched.
