{"abstract":"This document amends Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication regulations concerning: The clothing allowance based on certain service-connected disabilities; the dates of the Vietnam era; the payment of benefits to a surviving spouse for the month in which the veteran dies; the period for which accrued benefits are payable; and burial allowance eligibility. The intended effect of this amendment is to bring VA regulations into conformance with statutory revisions contained in the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS","name":"Veterans Affairs Department","id":520,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/veterans-affairs-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/520","parent_id":null,"slug":"veterans-affairs-department"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/1997/07/01/97-17226.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":"3","title":38}],"citation":"62 FR 35421","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":null,"disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":[],"dockets":[],"document_number":"97-17226","effective_on":null,"end_page":35423,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":null,"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1997/07/01/97-17226/veterans-benefits-improvements-act-of-1996","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/97-17226?publication_date=1997-07-01","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-1997-07-01/97-17226/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":3,"page_views":{"count":247,"last_updated":"2026-08-25 02:15:03 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1997-07-01/pdf/97-17226.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":null,"publication_date":"1997-07-01","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/1997/07/01/97-17226.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2900-AI66":{"issue":"199704","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2900-AI66/veteran-s-benefits-improvement-act-of-1996","title":"Veteran's Benefits Improvement Act of 1996","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=199704&RIN=2900-AI66&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Substantive, Nonsignificant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2900-AI66"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":false,"signing_date":null,"start_page":35421,"subtype":null,"title":"Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996","toc_doc":null,"toc_subject":null,"topics":[],"type":"Rule","volume":62}