Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 2025

[119th Congress Public Law 56]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 139 STAT. 709]]

Public Law 119-56
119th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the 
 Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary, and 
       for other purposes. <<NOTE: Dec. 12, 2025 -  [H.R. 1912]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Veteran Fraud 
Reimbursement Act of 2025.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 38 USC 101 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 
2025''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO REPAYMENT BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                    OF CERTAIN MISUSED BENEFITS.

    Section 6107 of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
``Sec. 6107. Reissuance of benefits

    ``(a) Reissuance of Misused Benefits.--(1) In any case in which a 
fiduciary misuses all or part of an individual's benefit paid to such 
fiduciary, the Secretary shall pay to the beneficiary or the 
beneficiary's successor fiduciary an amount equal to the amount of such 
benefit so misused.
    ``(2) In any case in which the Secretary reissues a benefit payment 
(in whole or in part) under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall make a 
good faith effort to obtain recoupment from the fiduciary to whom the 
payment was originally made.
    ``(3) <<NOTE: Remittance.>> In any case in which the Secretary 
obtains recoupment from a fiduciary who has misused benefits, the 
Secretary shall promptly remit payment of the recouped amounts to the 
beneficiary or the beneficiary's successor fiduciary, as the case may 
be, to the extent that such amounts have not been paid under paragraph 
(1).

    ``(b) Reissuance of Amounts in the Case of a Deceased Beneficiary.--
(1) If a beneficiary described in subsection (a)(1) predeceases a 
payment under such subsection, the Secretary shall pay such amount, 
subject to paragraph (2), to an individual or entity in accordance with 
section 5121 of this title.
    ``(2) The Secretary may not make a payment under this subsection to 
a fiduciary who misused benefits of the beneficiary.
    ``(c) Limitation on Total Amount Paid.--The total of the amounts 
paid to a beneficiary or the beneficiary's successor fiduciary under 
this section may not exceed the total benefit amount misused by the 
fiduciary with respect to that beneficiary.
    ``(d) <<NOTE: Determination.>> Oversight of Negligence.--(1) The 
Secretary shall establish methods and timing with respect to determining 
whether an instance of misuse by a fiduciary, of all or part of an 
individual's

[[Page 139 STAT. 710]]

benefit paid to such fiduciary, is the result of negligence by the 
Secretary.

    ``(2) The Secretary may not withhold the reissuing of a benefit 
payment under subsection (a)(1) by reason of a pending determination 
under paragraph (1).
    ``(3) The Secretary is not required to make a determination under 
paragraph (1) for each instance of misuse by a fiduciary, of all or part 
of an individual's benefit paid to such fiduciary.''.

    Approved December 12, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1912:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 171 (2025):
            May 5, considered and passed House.
            Nov. 20, considered and passed Senate.

                                  <all>