CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR VETERANS CLAIMS ACT

On 2025-04-07, Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) delivered a floor speech titled "CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR VETERANS CLAIMS ACT" in the House.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR VETERANS CLAIMS ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025) [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 th

Referenced legislation: HR1039, HR1039