HR1682-119

What This Bill Does

The BELO'S Act, or Benefits that Endure for Lifetimes Of Service Act, adds a new lifetime pass eligibility category to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Any survivor entitled to a death gratuity under 10 U.S.C. 1475 or dependency and indemnity compensation under title 38 chapter 13 becomes eligible for the lifetime pass. The bill does not create a new recreation program; it expands an existing federal lands pass category to recognize survivors of service members and veterans who qualify for those survivor benefits.

Who Benefits and How

Military family survivors, Gold Star families, death gratuity recipients, dependency and indemnity compensation recipients, surviving spouses, surviving children, National Park Service visitors, Forest Service recreation visitors, Bureau of Land Management recreation visitors, and Fish and Wildlife Service refuge visitors benefit from free or reduced-cost lifetime access to covered federal recreation lands under the existing pass program.

Who Bears the Burden and How

National Park Service pass administrators, Forest Service recreation staff, Bureau of Land Management recreation staff, Fish and Wildlife Service visitor staff, federal recreation fee program managers, Department of Defense survivor-benefit verifiers, and VA dependency and indemnity compensation verifiers must recognize the new eligibility category and verify survivor status when issuing lifetime passes. The fiscal burden is limited because it extends an existing pass system.

Key Provisions

• Adds survivors receiving a title 10 death gratuity to lifetime pass eligibility.
• Adds survivors receiving title 38 dependency and indemnity compensation to lifetime pass eligibility.
• Amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act lifetime pass provisions.
• Expands an existing federal recreation pass category rather than creating a separate program.