Grassley made his request along with Rep. Jim Leach in a letter sent Friday to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Grassley has been working hard to find a solution to the problem facing Iowa veterans who have made little or no money in a given year but remain ineligible for veterans pensions because they own assets, including farmland and equipment, that exceed the asset limits under current law.
"Raising the asset limitation from its current level of $50,000 would positively impact many veterans, particularly those who own farms and small businesses," Grassley said. "Right now, the current levels work against these individuals and deny them access to services for which they should be eligible."
In April 2000, Grassley held a meeting in Des Moines to discuss the need for raising the asset limitation for veterans from the $50,000 level. Grassley and Leach said that on the basis of this meeting, it was their understanding that the Veterans Benefits Administration was supportive of this change and could revise the regulations within 90-120 days.
"The VA has the authority to make these changes quickly and we thought they would," Grassley said. "Veterans shouldn't be forced by the VA to give up their livelihood in order to qualify for pension benefits."
Grassley and Leach asked the VA to inform them if it plans to increase the limit and if so what the time frame for doing so might be.