Monetary Enhancement for Distinguished Active Legends Act

What are your thoughts?

The Monetary Enhancement for Distinguished Active Legends Act has renewed national attention on how the United States honors the individuals whose courage in combat represents the highest standard of military service. This act elevates the financial recognition granted to Medal of Honor recipients and reinforces the nation’s obligation to those whose actions shaped battles and saved lives under the most extreme conditions.

What the MEDAL Act Is

The Monetary Enhancement for Distinguished Active Legends Act is a federal law enacted in 2022. Its purpose is to increase the monthly monetary gratuity provided to Medal of Honor recipients. The updated payment level reflects modern cost of living requirements and aims to ensure steady lifetime recognition for extraordinary wartime heroism.

The enhanced gratuity is tax exempt. It does not decrease or conflict with any earned benefits. Recipients keep their Veterans Affairs benefits, military retirement pay, Social Security income, disability awards, and any other federal or state entitlements without reduction. The enhanced amount remains in place for the lifetime of each recipient.

Impact on Medal of Honor Recipients

Medal of Honor recipients already receive a long standing special pension that acknowledges their exceptional acts of valor. The MEDAL Act strengthens this support, ensuring that financial recognition keeps pace with economic realities. Recipients are not required to apply for the increase and maintain full access to all other benefits.

Understanding the Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor issued by the United States military. It is reserved exclusively for service members whose actions demonstrate conspicuous gallantry and courage at the risk of life during combat. The review process is exhaustive and includes multiple military authorities, extensive documentation, eyewitness accounts, and final approval by the President of the United States.

Since its creation during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor has been awarded four thousand and ninety four times. Many recipients received the medal posthumously because the circumstances that merit this award often result in the loss of life. As of 2025, sixty three Medal of Honor recipients are alive.

A Veteran’s Perspective

As an Army retired veteran, I believe firmly that Medal of Honor recipients deserve every part of this enhancement. These individuals stepped into the most dangerous moments of combat and willingly risked everything to save others and accomplish missions critical to their units. Their actions changed lives and often altered the outcome of entire engagements.

Financial recognition cannot fully match the magnitude of their sacrifice, yet it remains a meaningful acknowledgment of what they gave. The MEDAL Act provides real support that reflects national gratitude and respects the lifelong impact of their service.

Why the MEDAL Act Matters

The MEDAL Act reinforces a national commitment to honor those who performed the most courageous acts in defense of the country. Recognizing valor requires more than ceremony. It requires sustained practical support. Strengthening financial stability for Medal of Honor recipients ensures that the nation continues to honor its promise to those who carried the greatest burdens of combat and displayed the highest ideals of military service.

SOURCING

United States Department of Defense
United States Code Title 38 Veterans Benefits
Congressional Research Service Medal of Honor Statistics
Congressional Budget Office Legislative Summary for MEDAL Act
Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Data
Presidential Medal of Honor Approval Archives