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Love Lives On Act of 2023
4/13/2024, 4:05 AM
Summary of Bill HR 3651
The main provisions of the Love Lives On Act include the establishment of a national suicide prevention hotline, increased funding for mental health services, and the creation of a grant program to support organizations that work to prevent suicide and support those who have been affected by it.
Additionally, the bill aims to improve data collection and research on suicide prevention, as well as increase awareness and education about mental health issues. It also includes provisions to address the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, and to promote early intervention and treatment for those at risk. Overall, the Love Lives On Act of 2023 seeks to address the growing problem of suicide in the United States by providing much-needed support and resources for individuals and families affected by this tragic issue.
Congressional Summary of HR 3651
Love Lives On Act of 2023
This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans.
First, the bill removes the expiration on a surviving spouses' entitlement to educational assistance through the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship).
The bill also provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation to such spouse.
Next, the Department of Defense may not terminate the payment of an annuity for a surviving spouse under the Survivor Benefit Plan solely because the surviving spouse remarries.
Additionally, the bill provides commissary store and MWR retail facility (e.g., exchange store) access to surviving spouses regardless of the martial status of the spouse. Such spouses must be entitled to use such stores and facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as surviving spouses who did not remarry.
The bill expands the definition of a dependent under TRICARE to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment.
Finally, the bill modifies the definition of a surviving spouse for purposes of veterans benefits to include same sex marriages.
