Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s bill, the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act, has passed the House of Representatives. The legislation is named after World War II veteran Ernest Peltz and aims to improve veterans’ access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.
Stefanik addressed the House prior to the vote. “Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to Chairman Bost. I rise today in support of my legislation, the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act H.R. 3123. I also want to thank Ranking Member Takano for his comments and support,” she said.
Stefanik explained that she represented the Peltz family for over a decade, including Ernest Peltz, who died a few years ago. After his death, his son Charles Peltz encountered difficulties with VA procedures when attempting to access his father’s accrued pension benefits.
“Hero Ernest Peltz did everything right: He served admirably and honorably in our military. He continued a lifetime of public service. He applied for his accrued veterans pension benefit, and the Department of Veterans Affairs approved it while he was still alive. Yet due to a processing error, the VA did not deposit the funds until after Mr. Peltz’s passing. In an even more troubling turn, the VA then clawed those funds back—even though Ernest Peltz was alive at the time his benefit was approved and fully earned,” Stefanik said.
She added that this left the family responsible for costs related to her father’s care and called it unacceptable that families should bear such burdens due to administrative errors.
“That’s why I first introduced the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act two Congresses ago. For years, I’ve worked closely with the Peltz family, veterans service organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle—like Congressman Ro Khanna—to craft legislation to correct this moral wrong. My bill eliminates the burden on a veteran’s surviving family by ensuring that the veteran is entitled to receive their pre-approved pension benefits within the month that death occurs,” she said.
Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional District and has done so since 2015 after replacing Bill Owens as U.S. Congress member for this area (https://stefanik.house.gov/2026/2/stefanik-passes-bipartisan-bill-named-after-north-country-veteran-and-family-to-enhance-veterans-access-to-va-benefits). Her district includes more veterans than any other in New York State.
“This commonsense bipartisan legislation honors the legacy of World War II veteran Ernest Peltz and takes a critical step toward improving the VA’s effectiveness and accountability,” she stated.
She concluded by thanking Charles Peltz for his advocacy: “I want to particularly thank Ernest’s son, Charles Peltz, who is a friend and tireless advocate of this legislation. I urge a ‘yes’ vote on my bill and yield the floor.”
The passage of this bill marks an effort by Stefanik—who was born in Albany in 1984 and graduated from Harvard University—to address issues facing veterans’ families when accessing earned benefits.
