President Donald Trump signed two bipartisan bills into law on Monday, increasing special pension payments for Medal of Honor recipients and reauthorizing major federal programs aimed at preventing and treating substance use disorders.
Medal of Honor Act (H.R. 695)
The “Medal of Honor Act” amends Title 38 to increase the special monthly pension paid to living Medal of Honor recipients. The new pension amount is now tied directly to the VA’s Section 1114(m) disability compensation rate, raised to the next intermediate rate under Section 1114(p).
The increase raises the special Medal of Honor pension from $1,406.73 per month to $8,333.33 per month, according to the official Congressional summary of the bill.
This replaces the previous fixed amount of $1,406.73 per month, which Congress found no longer reflected the level of recognition these recipients earned. Lawmakers stated that Medal of Honor awardees “have earned a substantial and historic increase” in recognition of “conspicuous gallantry” and “heroic actions above and beyond the call of duty.”
The law also prevents multiple increases within the same year and extends certain limits on pension payment rules through January 31, 2033.
Fewer than 70 Americans currently hold the Medal of Honor.
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2483)
The second measure reauthorizes dozens of federal programs related to opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. The original SUPPORT Act became law in 2018. This update extends and expands funding through 2030 across several areas including prevention, treatment, workforce development, research, and youth programs.
Key provisions include:
- Overdose Prevention: Updates to federal programs addressing overdose surveillance, early detection, and public health response, including new authority for wastewater surveillance to track drug trends.
- Child & Youth Trauma Prevention: Increased funding for programs monitoring child, youth, and adult trauma, as well as enhancements to the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative.
- First Responder Training: Increased authorization from $36M to $57M annually for programs training responders on overdose reversal and drug misuse response.
- Recovery Services: Expanded support for peer recovery, recovery housing, community programs, and comprehensive opioid recovery centers.
- Workforce Development: Increased funding for addiction medicine training, mental health workforce grants, and loan repayment programs for providers in substance use disorder care.
- 988 Lifeline Cybersecurity: New cybersecurity requirements to protect the national suicide prevention hotline from vulnerabilities and incidents.
The bill also directs federal agencies to improve grants.gov usability, expand access to naloxone-equivalent reversal agents, and study the scheduling of buprenorphine/naloxone combination therapies.
The White House signing ceremony on December 1 included veterans organizations, addiction specialists, and recovery advocates.