Establishment of veterans experience office

(a)

Establishment

(1)

In general

Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

325.

Veterans Experience Office

(a)

Establishment

There is established in the Department within the Office of the Secretary an office to be known as the Veterans Experience Office (in this section referred to as the Office).(b)

Head of office

(1)The head of the Office shall be the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.(2)The Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall—(A)be appointed by the Secretary from among individuals the Secretary considers qualified to perform the duties of the position;(B)report directly to the Secretary; and(C)be responsible for carrying out the functions of the Office set forth under subsection (c).(c)

Function

The functions of the Office are as follows:(1)Carrying out the key customer experience initiatives of the Department relating to veterans' and other beneficiaries' satisfaction with and usage of benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary for which they are eligible, including setting the strategy, framework, policy, and other guidance for the Department relating to customer experience, including ensuring the activities of the Office and those of other organizations and offices within the Department are coordinated and not duplicative.(2)Requiring the heads of other organizations and offices within the Department to report regularly on customer experience metrics, action plans, and other customer experience improvement efforts to the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.(3)Collecting veteran-derived data—(A)to determine veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of the benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary for which they are eligible; and(B)to be considered during policymaking.(4)Providing strategic guidance and strategies to Department entities for engaging with veterans and beneficiaries regarding benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, including those not using such benefits and services.(5)Assessing and advising the Secretary on the accuracy and helpfulness of the websites and other customer-facing information of the Department, be it available electronically or in any other format.(6)Assessing and advising the Secretary on the status and opportunities for improvement of the customer service efforts of the Department.(d)

Reports

(1)Each year, the Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall submit to the Secretary a summary of the data received by the Chief Veterans Experience Officer under subsection (c)(2).(2)Each year, not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the summary under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual summary and analysis of the matters summarized pursuant to such paragraph.(3)Each annual summary submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) shall include the following:(A)Data regarding customer service and experience feedback, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback.(B)Data regarding veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of benefits or services, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback, including—(i)potential reasons for not using the benefits or services, such as—(I)eligibility;(II)lack of knowledge or awareness of existence of benefit or service;(III)barriers of technology, information, or time; and(IV)other related reasons; and(ii)an analysis of how such reasons may be addressed.(e)

Staff and resources

(1)The Secretary shall ensure that—(A)the Office has such staff, resources, and access to customer service and experience information as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Office; and(B)any information provided to the Office does not include personally identifiable information of an individual veteran, survivor, dependent, or other beneficiary unless such individual provides appropriate consent to allow such information to be shared with the Office.(2)Funds available for basic pay and other administrative expenses of other Department organizations and offices may be available to reimburse the Office for all services provided at rates which will recover actual costs for services provided to such organizations if the Secretary determines that contributing to such costs will not undermine the ability of any such organization or office to provide services required by such office.(3)Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize an increase in the number of full-time employees otherwise authorized for the Department.(f)

Privacy

Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the Chief Veterans Experience Officer to disclose any record in contravention of section 552a of title 5 (commonly referred to as the Privacy Act of 1974).(g)

Sunset

The requirements and authorities of this section shall terminate on September 30, 2028.

(2)

Clerical amendment

The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

325. Veterans Experience Office.

(b)

Comptroller general of the United States review of veterans experience office and customer service improvement efforts

Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall—(1)complete an analysis of the methodology, effectiveness, and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and beneficiaries used by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve veteran and beneficiary customer experience and satisfaction, including through the use of what are known as trust-scores, Veteran Signals also known as VSignals, and related survey and data collection activities, processes, and initiatives; and(2)submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report setting forth the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the analysis completed pursuant to paragraph (1).