[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6452 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>





                                                 Union Calendar No. 499
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6452

                          [Report No. 118-599]

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 17, 2023

    Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Bost, Mr. Cole, and Mr. Wittman) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

                             July 18, 2024

  Additional sponsors: Mr. Lawler, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. 
                         Mann, and Mr. Feenstra

                             July 18, 2024

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
    [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on 
                           November 17, 2023]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, and for 
                            other purposes.


 


    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 ``Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Act 
of 2024'' or the ``VSAFE Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS SCAM AND FRAUD EVASION OFFICER.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 325. Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department a Veterans Scam 
and Fraud Evasion Officer, who shall be responsible for fraud and scam 
prevention, reporting, and incident response plans at the Department.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion 
Officer shall carry out the following responsibilities:
            ``(1) Providing comprehensive communication from the 
        Department to Department employees and veterans, their 
        families, caregivers, and survivors during strategic and time-
        sensitive fraud and scam incidents.
            ``(2) Establishing consistent guidance across the 
        enterprise for employees as well as veterans, their families, 
        caregivers, and survivors on how to identify, report, and avoid 
        fraud and scam attempts.
            ``(3) Promoting the Veteran Identity Health Theft Helpline 
        of the Department (and any successor resource) and identifying 
        other identity theft resources available to veterans, their 
        families, caregivers, and survivors, including with respect to 
        actions made by the Secretary to protect the identities of 
        veterans and their beneficiaries.
            ``(4) Developing methods to monitor fraud and scam metrics 
        within the Department to--
                    ``(A) provide internal and external reporting;
                    ``(B) enable advanced data analytics; and
                    ``(C) facilitate proactive and robust fraud and 
                scam trend identification.
            ``(5) Developing comprehensive training plans for 
        Department employees fielding fraud and scam inquiries and 
        reports.
            ``(6) Coordinating with the Inspector General of the 
        Department and other Federal departments and agencies, 
        including the Executive Office of the President, the Office of 
        Management and Budget, the Internal Revenue Service, the 
        Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Consumer 
        Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Defense, the 
        Department of Education, the Social Security Administration, 
        and other relevant agencies to--
                    ``(A) create a whole-of-Government view within the 
                Department with respect to the fraud prevention efforts 
                at other Federal departments and agencies;
                    ``(B) identify the proper avenues for veterans to 
                report fraud attempts and receive assistance; and
                    ``(C) identify opportunities for coordination with 
                such departments and agencies.
            ``(7) Consulting with veterans service organizations and 
        State, local, and tribal governments, as necessary, to improve 
        the understanding of fraud and scam risks within the 
        Department.
    ``(c) Full-time Employees.--Nothing in this section authorizes an 
increase in the number of full-time employees otherwise authorized for 
the Department.
    ``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the authority of the Office of Inspector General of 
the Department as otherwise provided in this title or in chapter 4 of 
title 5 (commonly referred to as the Inspector General Act of 1978).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``325. Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer.''.

SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES.

    The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ``November 15, 2031'' each place it 
appears and inserting ``November 29, 2031''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 499

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 6452

                          [Report No. 118-599]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             July 18, 2024

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed