| 1 | 1 | | I |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. R. 1286 |
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| 5 | 5 | | To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an agreement |
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| 6 | 6 | | with a federally funded research and development center for an assess- |
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| 7 | 7 | | ment of forms that the Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under |
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| 8 | 8 | | laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes. |
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| 9 | 9 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 10 | 10 | | FEBRUARY13, 2025 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Mr. B |
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| 12 | 12 | | RESNAHAN(for himself, Mr. DAVISof North Carolina, Mr. BOST, Mr. |
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| 13 | 13 | | P |
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| 14 | 14 | | ANETTA, Mr. VALADAO, and Mr. HARDERof California) introduced the |
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| 15 | 15 | | following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs |
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| 16 | 16 | | A BILL |
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| 17 | 17 | | To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter |
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| 18 | 18 | | into an agreement with a federally funded research and |
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| 19 | 19 | | development center for an assessment of forms that the |
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| 20 | 20 | | Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under laws |
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| 21 | 21 | | administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Simplifying Forms for 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | Veterans Claims Act’’. 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Mar 10, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1286.IH H1286 |
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| 28 | 28 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 |
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| 29 | 29 | | •HR 1286 IH |
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| 30 | 30 | | SEC. 2. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF FORMS THAT THE 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SENDS 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | TO CLAIMANTS. 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (a) A |
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| 34 | 34 | | GREEMENT.—Not later than 30 days after the 4 |
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| 35 | 35 | | date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-5 |
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| 36 | 36 | | erans Affairs shall seek to enter into an agreement with 6 |
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| 37 | 37 | | an FFRDC for an assessment of forms that the Secretary 7 |
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| 38 | 38 | | sends to claimants. 8 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (b) A |
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| 40 | 40 | | SSESSMENT.—An FFRDC that enters to an 9 |
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| 41 | 41 | | agreement under subsection (a) shall submit to the Sec-10 |
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| 42 | 42 | | retary a written assessment, made in consultation with 11 |
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| 43 | 43 | | covered entities, of such forms. The assessment shall in-12 |
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| 44 | 44 | | clude the recommendations of the FFRDC regarding how 13 |
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| 45 | 45 | | the Secretary may make such forms clearer to claimants 14 |
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| 46 | 46 | | and better organized. 15 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (c) R |
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| 48 | 48 | | EPORT; IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 90 16 |
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| 49 | 49 | | days after the Secretary receives the assessment under 17 |
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| 50 | 50 | | subsection (b), the Secretary shall— 18 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (1) submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af-19 |
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| 52 | 52 | | fairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a 20 |
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| 53 | 53 | | copy of such assessment; and 21 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (2) implement the recommendations in the as-22 |
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| 55 | 55 | | sessment that are in compliance with the laws ad-23 |
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| 56 | 56 | | ministered by the Secretary. 24 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (d) D |
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| 58 | 58 | | EADLINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—The Sec-25 |
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| 59 | 59 | | retary shall complete the implementation of such rec-26 |
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| 61 | 61 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 |
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| 62 | 62 | | •HR 1286 IH |
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| 63 | 63 | | ommendations pursuant to subsection (c)(2) by not later 1 |
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| 64 | 64 | | than two years after the date on which the Secretary com-2 |
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| 65 | 65 | | mences such implementation. 3 |
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| 66 | 66 | | (e) D |
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| 67 | 67 | | EFINITIONS.—In this section: 4 |
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| 68 | 68 | | (1) The term ‘‘FFRDC’’ means a federally 5 |
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| 69 | 69 | | funded research and development center. 6 |
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| 70 | 70 | | (2) The term ‘‘covered entities’’ includes— 7 |
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| 71 | 71 | | (A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 8 |
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| 72 | 72 | | (B) an expert in laws administered by the 9 |
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| 73 | 73 | | Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 10 |
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| 74 | 74 | | (C) a veterans service organization recog-11 |
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| 75 | 75 | | nized under section 5902 of title 38, United 12 |
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| 76 | 76 | | States Code; and 13 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (D) an entity that advocates for veterans 14 |
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| 78 | 78 | | and survivors of veterans. 15 |
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| 79 | 79 | | (3) The term ‘‘claimant’’ has the meaning given 16 |
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| 80 | 80 | | such term in section 5100 of title 38, United States 17 |
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| 81 | 81 | | Code. 18 |
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| 82 | 82 | | Æ |
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| 84 | 84 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB |
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