Last year, the BRAVE Act, which helps assure equitable funeral and burial benefits for veterans, was signed into law as part of The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020. In the months since, the VA has been developing policies for implementing various aspects of the law. 

On February 8, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a virtual hearing titled Honoring our Promise: Reviewing the Effectiveness of Services for Survivors and Dependents. 

During the hearing, Cheryl Rawls, executive director, Office of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was asked by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) when the VA last increased the burial allowance for a non-service-connected death. 

Rawls responded that because of the BRAVE Act, the VA was set to raise January 5, 2023, from $300 to $831.