Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access

(a)

Establishment

Subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

549.

Advisory Committee on Equal Access

(a)

Establishment

(1)The Secretary shall establish an advisory committee on matters relating to accessibility of the Department for individuals with disabilities.(2)The advisory committee established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access (in this section referred to as the Advisory Committee).(b)

Membership

(1)The Advisory Committee shall be composed of 15 voting members, appointed by the Secretary. In appointing such members, the Secretary shall ensure the following:(A)Four are veterans with disabilities, including mobility impairment, hearing, visual, and mental or cognitive disabilities.(B)Four are experts on issues described in subsection (f)(1)(A) or the provisions of law set forth under subsection (f)(1)(B). (C)Two are employees of the Department, one from the Section 508 Office and one from the Architectural Accessibility Program, who oversee the compliance of the Department with Federal accessibility laws.(D)Five are representatives nominated by veterans service organizations, recognized under section 5902 of this title, that advocate for veterans with physical, sensory, mental, or cognitive disabilities.(2)The Advisory Committee shall also include four ex officio members (or their designees):(A)The Under Secretary for Health.(B)The Under Secretary for Benefits.(C)The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.(D)The chairperson of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board established by section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93–112; 29 U.S.C. 792).(c)

Terms; vacancies

(1)A member of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of two years. The Secretary may reappoint members to the Advisory Committee for such additional two-year terms as the Secretary determines appropriate.(2)The Secretary shall fill a vacancy in the Advisory Committee in the same manner as the original appointment not later than 180 days after such vacancy occurs.(d)

Meetings; subcommittees; quorum

(1)The Advisory Committee shall meet not less frequently than twice each year.(2)The Advisory Committee may form subcommittees, which shall meet as often as required.(3)A majority of the members of the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum.(e)

Chairperson

(1)Members of the Advisory Committee shall select a Chairperson from among the members of the Advisory Committee.(2)If the position of Chairperson becomes vacant, the members of the Advisory Committee shall select a new Chairperson not later than 30 days after the date on which the position became vacant.(f)

Duties

(1)On a regular basis, the Secretary shall consult with and seek the advice of the Advisory Committee on the following:(A)Improving the accessibility of the Department for individuals with disabilities, including improving—(i)the accessibility of information of the Department, including electronic information;(ii)the accessibility of the services and benefits furnished by the Department;(iii)the accessibility of the facilities of the Department;(iv)the accessibility of facilities of health care providers furnishing care or services under the Veterans Community Care Program under section 1703 of this title; and(v)the acquisition process of the Department to ensure that products and services, including information technology and information and communication technology (as defined in the standards issued by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board pursuant to section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93–112; 29 U.S.C. 794d)), are accessible when purchased.(B)Ensuring the compliance of the Department with provisions of law that ensure equal access to Federal facilities, benefits, or services, for individuals with disabilities, including the following:(i)The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–336; 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).(ii)Sections 501, 504, and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93–112; 29 U.S.C. 791, 794, and 794d).(iii)The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–274; 5 U.S.C. 301 note).(iv)The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (Public Law 115–336; 44 U.S.C. 3501 note).(v)The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90–480; 42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.).(2)In advising to the Secretary, the Advisory Committee shall, focusing on the areas of greatest need for the Department—(A)assess the disability access needs of veterans, the public, and Department employees, for full access to the Department’s information, services, and benefits, by reviewing relevant information, such as filed complaints by people with disabilities or physical assessments of the Department’s facilities;(B)provide assessments of accessibility at the Department and the compliance of the Department with applicable provisions of law relating to disability and accessibility; and(C)provide advice on improving accessibility at the Department, including the accessibility of all—(i)communications, including internal and public-facing;(ii)services and benefits; and(iii)facilities.(3)

Reports

(A)Not later than two years after the date of the first meeting of the Advisory Committee, and not less frequently than once every two years thereafter, the Advisory Committee shall submit to the Secretary a report that, focusing on areas of greatest need for the Department—(i)identifies and assesses access barriers affecting veterans, the public, and employees of the Department;(ii)determines the extent to which the programs and activities of the Department address the barriers identified in clause (i), including compliance of the Department with provisions of law relating to accessibility law and reporting;(iii)provides recommendations and access priorities to improve the accessibility of the Department’s services, benefits, information, technology, and facilities; (iv)provides a description of access improvements and assesses the Department’s implementation of recommendations from previous reports of the Advisory Committee, including any unmet recommendations that remain necessary for improving accessibility for the Department; and(v)provides any recommendations for legislation, administrative action, or other actions that the Advisory Committee determines appropriate.(B)(i)Not later than 90 days after the receipt of a report required under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a copy of such report and any comments and recommendations of the Secretary concerning such report that the Secretary determines appropriate.(ii)The Secretary shall publish on a publicly accessible website of the Department such report and such comments and recommendations as may have been submitted along with such report.(iii)In this subparagraph, the term appropriate congressional committee means—(I)the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives;(II)the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate;(III)the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives; or(IV)the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate.(g)

Advisory Committee personnel and resource matters

(1)A member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall not be compensated for the performance of the duties of the Advisory Committee.(2)A member of the Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Advisory Committee.(3)The Secretary shall ensure that such personnel, funding, and other resources are made available to the Advisory Committee as the Secretary determines appropriate to carry out the duties of the Advisory Committee.(4)The Secretary shall furnish to the Advisory Committee such information as the Advisory Committee may request from the Secretary, subject to applicable provisions of law.(h)

Termination of Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee shall terminate on the date that is seven years after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025.

(b)

Table of sections

The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding, after the item relating to section 548, the following new item:

549. Advisory Committee on Equal Access.

(c)

Implementation; abolition of inactive advisory committee

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and before establishing the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access under section 549 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall—(1)abolish an advisory committee of the Department of Veterans Affairs that—(A)was not established by an Act of Congress; and(B)is inactive;(2)consolidate two advisory committees described in paragraph (1); or(3)submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a recommendation to abolish an advisory committee of the Department that—(A)was established by an Act of Congress; and(B)is inactive.