RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - It's already a felony to embezzle Social Security and veterans benefits, and if two U.S. senators have their way, abusing federal retirement funds will become a felony as well.

Democratic Sen. Heidi Keitkamp of North Dakota and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma are co-sponsoing a bill designed to stop what Lankford describes as a growing problem of "caretaker misuse" of the benefits.

"Many government workers devote their lives to public service - we must fight the embezzlement of their benefits to ensure a more reliable retirement for them and their families," according to a statement.

The bill is called the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015.