[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1437-H1439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR VETERANS CLAIMS ACT
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''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
H.R. 1039, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
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. 1039, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 1039, the Clear
Communication for Veterans Claims Act.
When a veteran applies for benefits at VA, the agency corresponds
with that veteran at multiple points in the process regarding their
claim. This communication is often through letters that can be densely
laden with legal jargon and confusing information, which makes it hard
for the veteran to understand what is required of them or the benefits
decision VA has arrived at. This can lead the veteran to miss important
deadlines or fail to submit
[[Page H1438]]
proper documentation, which can ultimately lead to the rejection of
their claims.
Under the Biden administration, VA already launched an internal
review of these notice letters and had already redrafted many of them
to be more direct and easier to understand, but VA could also use some
outside help in reviewing the literally thousands of different possible
letters they might send to a veteran.
H.R. 1039 seeks to provide that assistance. Specifically, it mandates
that VA make its notice letters--documents that explain decisions on
benefits--shorter, clearer, and easier for veterans and their families
to understand. This bill requires the VA to contract with a third party
to assess and recommend improvements to these letters, which often
contain complex legal language that confuses veterans.
The bill also sets deadlines for action: The VA must contract with a
Federally Funded Research and Development Center, or FFRDC, to evaluate
these communications within 30 days of the bill's enactment and submit
its recommendations within 90 days. This effort aims to streamline the
claims process and reduce the stress and confusion many veterans face
when dealing with their benefits.
Mr. Speaker, in spite of my support for the substance of this
measure, I want to raise concern with the majority's choice to offset
the cost of this bill by continuing to divert pension payments from the
oldest and most sick veterans in VA's system. I understand that this
offset has been used in the past and has existed in some form since the
1960s. However, given that this administration, with the enabling of a
feckless Republican-led Congress, has been working overtime to hollow
out VA, we must rethink whether or not it is appropriate to continue
its use.
Aside from the moral failing of cutting one veterans' benefit to pay
for another, VA's pension programs are designed specifically to support
the poorest and sickest veterans and their survivors. Therefore, this
continued reduction in pension payments poses real risks when the other
services these veterans might need to fall back on are also being cut.
Mr. Speaker, again, I support the substance of this bill, but I think
we should have a very serious conversation about the majority's choice
to perpetuate cutting veterans' pensions, and I believe that we should
include this item in any negotiations with the Senate before this bill
becomes law.
Mr. Speaker, with those concerns in mind, I support this legislation
and ask my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barrett), the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my very first
piece of legislation that I introduced as a Member of Congress, H.R.
1039, the Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act.
This bipartisan bill, which I am proud to lead with Chairman Bost and
Representative Budzinski, the ranking member of the subcommittee that I
lead on Chairman Bost's committee, will make it easier for veterans to
access the care and benefits they have earned by making significant
improvements to our overly complicated claims process.
Mr. Speaker, you have already heard from other Members today about
issues with veterans filing claims and running into problems with
forms, legalese, bureaucratic speak, and things that are not easily
understood. I can tell you, I personally have seen this myself in
applications and interfacing I have had with the VA and challenges you
get when you receive things in the mail. It is hard to determine
whether this is an update on the claim that I have filed, a resolution
to that claim, or seeking more information, or is it simply a delay
saying that they don't have a resolution to the claim yet? It can be
very difficult to figure that out, especially if you have multiple
claims within the same packet.
When a veteran files a claim, it means they need help, yet too often
they receive long, confusing letters full of legal jargon that leaves
them with more questions than answers, ultimately leading them to call
into a claims center or a helpline, which overburdens that and slows
down the overall claims process.
This is unacceptable. Claims letters should be the catalyst to care
and benefits and not the obstacle.
That is where my bill comes in. H.R. 1039 requires the VA to make
these notices clear, concise, and easy to understand while also
streamlining the Department's overall communication with our veterans.
As you heard already, it requires the VA to partner with an outside
agency, not the bureaucrats within the VA, to make these communications
easier and more streamlined for veterans to understand. Often, when you
are working within the industry, it can be very difficult to put
yourself in the position of those receiving these letters to understand
what would be best absorbed by them.
Our veterans serve the United States military with honor. They
shouldn't need a lawyer or specially trained advocate to explain a
claims letter to them.
When I was elected to the State legislature in Michigan 10 years ago,
I became the only Iraq war veteran in the entire Michigan House of
Representatives. I worked closely with my Federal Members of Congress
to help veterans obtain their benefits.
I maintained then that if I were ever in a position to make the
process more streamlined and easier to understand, I would commit to
doing that. This very first bill in Congress makes good on that
commitment. I am proud to offer that today.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you and the rest of the Chamber for taking up
this bill for consideration. It is time to give America's heroes and
their families a clear and efficient claims process that actually works
for them. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill that would
do just that.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Ms. Budzinski), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on
Technology Modernization.
Ms. BUDZINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Clear
Communication for Veterans Claims Act, bipartisan legislation that
would simplify the Department of Veterans Affairs' correspondence for
our Nation's heroes. I am proud to lead this bill with Chairman Tom
Barrett, who I serve with on the House Veterans' Affairs Technology
Modernization Subcommittee.
Every day, my office hears from veterans who are struggling to get
the benefits that they earned because of overcomplicated documents and
bureaucratic red tape. Correspondence from the VA regarding benefits
decisions, often called notice letters, usually contain complex legal
jargon, which can be confusing, frustrating, and stressful for veterans
and their families.
The Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act is a commonsense
solution to this problem. This legislation would require the VA to
study and provide recommendations for simplifying VA notice letters.
The goal is to make these letters shorter, easier to understand, and
more comprehensive so veterans have the information they need for the
next step in their claims process.
Our veterans have sacrificed so much in service to our Nation, and we
must do more to improve access to the critical services they need and
deserve. Right now, our veterans are facing great uncertainty and
anxiety. This bill would make a real change in their lives. We owe it
to them now more than ever before.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important
bill.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared
to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support this
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1039, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
[[Page H1439]]
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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