Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1039) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center for an assessment of notice letters that the Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1039

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act''. SEC. 2. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF NOTICES THAT THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SENDS TO CLAIMANTS.

(a) Agreement.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into an agreement with an FFRDC for an assessment of notices that the Secretary sends to claimants.

(b) Assessment.--An FFRDC that enters to an agreement under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary a written assessment of such notices. The assessment shall include the following:

(1) The determination of the FFRDC, made in consultation with covered entities, whether each such notice may be feasibly altered to reduce paper consumption by, and costs to, the Federal Government.

(2) The recommendations of the FFRDC regarding how the Secretary may make such notices clearer to claimants, better organized, and more concise.

(c) Report; Implementation.--Not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives the assessment under subsection (b), the Secretary shall--

(1) submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a copy of such assessment; and

(2) implement the recommendations in the assessment that are in compliance with the laws administered by the Secretary.

(d) Deadline for Implementation.--The Secretary shall complete the implementation of such recommendations pursuant to subsection (c)(2) by not later than one year after the date on which the Secretary commences such implementation.

(e) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) The term ``FFRDC'' means a federally funded research and development center.

(2) The term ``covered entities'' includes--

(A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(B) an expert in laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(C) a veterans service organization recognized under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code;

(D) an entity that advocates for veterans; and

(E) an entity that advocates for the survivors of veterans.

(3) The terms ``claimant'' and ``notice'' have the meanings given such terms in section 5100 of title 38, United States Code. SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.

Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting ``December 31, 2031''.

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Mr. BOST. 1039, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1039, as amended.

This bill was introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett), my friend and fellow veteran, and I am proud to be a cosponsor.

H.R. 1039, as amended, would require VA to contract with a research entity to improve the notice letters VA sends to veterans and survivors who file claims for VA benefits. The VA provides veterans and their survivors information throughout the VA claims process. It is important for these notice letters to be understandable so that the veterans and survivors know their rights and how to navigate the claims process.

I am pleased to see that the VA has recently improved some of their notice letters. However, hundreds of other VA letters are still difficult to understand.

At a recent hearing, we heard from veterans' advocates that the VA needs help from outside experts, given the huge number of letters that VA must draft. We still hear from veterans that many of VA's letters are too long, filled with legal jargon, and contain information that is not relevant to their claims.

These complex letters sometimes cause veterans and survivors so much confusion and stress that they just abandon their claims.

As a veteran myself, I continue to receive long and complex letters. You shouldn't have to be a Member of Congress or an attorney to understand how the VA claims process works.

H.R. 1039, as amended, would ensure that none of VA's notice letters discourage veterans from accessing the benefits they have earned. Representative Barrett's bill would ensure that VA sends veterans and survivors understandable notice letters so they can make informed decisions about their claims. Further, this modernization bill is supported by the administration.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our veterans service organizations for their support of this commonsense bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R.
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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I join with the ranking member and ask all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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