Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act
The Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain an agreement with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to independently assess the forms VA uses when claimants apply for benefits. The assessment must be developed with input from defined “covered entities” (including VA staff, legal experts on VA-related law, veterans service organizations, and entities that advocate for veterans and survivors). The VA would then report the assessment to Congress within 90 days and implement the recommendations that comply with law, with full implementation due within two years of starting the implementation. In addition, the bill changes a pension-related deadline by extending the limit for payments from November 30, 2031 to December 31, 2031.
Key Points
- 1The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must seek to enter an agreement within 30 days of enactment with an FFRDC to assess the forms VA sends to claimants for benefits.
- 2The FFRDC’s assessment must be written and developed in consultation with “covered entities,” and it must include recommendations on how to make forms clearer and better organized.
- 3The VA must, within 90 days after receiving the assessment, provide a copy of the assessment to the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees and implement the recommendations that comply with applicable laws.
- 4Full implementation of the recommendations must be completed within two years after the VA commences implementation.
- 5The bill defines FFRDCs and outlines who counts as “covered entities,” and it clarifies the term “claimant” as used in 38 U.S.C. 5100.