Their savings.
Their choice.
Their time.
The DUSL Act would give eligible severely disabled veterans and their families greater freedom to use the retirement savings they earned—when those funds can make the greatest difference.
Divestment of Unavailable Savings to Live
The proposal is rooted in a simple idea: veterans facing severe service-connected disabilities should have more freedom to access their own retirement savings during their lifetime.
It represents financial dignity, family stability, and the chance to use hard-earned savings for care, home modifications, essential expenses, or meaningful time with loved ones.
Awaiting introduction
An unnumbered legislative draft has been prepared. Formal introduction and committee referral have not been verified.
Last confirmed office update: June 26, 2026
Time is the resource this bill protects.
A 2021 pilot study of 100% service-connected U.S. veterans found an average age at death of about 67, well below the general population. A larger analysis by VA researchers of roughly four million veterans receiving disability compensation found that those rated 100% had more than twice the odds of dying within a year compared with veterans at lower ratings.
Retirement savings that cannot be reached without penalty before age 59½ are savings many of these veterans will never get to use. That is the gap the DUSL Act is meant to close.
Sources: Jobson & Gentry, The Mortality Rate of 100% Service-Connected U.S. Veterans, SOCRA Source, 2021 (pilot study) · Maynard, Nelson & Fihn, Disability Rating and 1-Year Mortality Among Veterans With Service-Connected Health Conditions, Public Health Reports, 2018
What the DUSL Act would do
Expand access
Allow eligible veterans to access recognized retirement accounts before standard retirement age.
Remove federal burdens
Exempt qualifying withdrawals from early-distribution penalties and exclude up to $180,000 annually from income, with indexing.
Protect benefits
Keep qualifying withdrawals from disrupting means-tested benefit eligibility.
Support families
Include eligible spouses meeting the draft's legal definition and two-year marriage requirement.
Policy becomes real when veterans and families speak.
Personal accounts show how disability, medical needs, lost earning capacity, caregiving, and shortened life expectancy affect real households.
Your experience can help explain why this proposal matters.
Share how access to retirement savings could affect your family.
The Proposed DUSL Act
Plain-language summary of the two-section legislative draft. The language may change before introduction or enactment.
The proposal is called the Divestment of Unavailable Savings to Live Act, or DUSL Act.
Contact your representative
Ask your representative to review and support the proposed DUSL Act.