Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1311 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1311

 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2025

   Mr. Banks introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 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.

    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 of 2025''.

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 a federally funded research and 
development center (FFRDC) for an assessment of notices that the 
Secretary sends to claimants.
    (b) Assessment.--A federally funded research and development center 
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 federally funded research and 
        development center, 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 federally funded research 
        and development center 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 Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives a copy of such assessment; and
            (2) commence implementing 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 required by 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) Covered entities.--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.
            (2) Claimant and notice.--The terms ``claimant'' and 
        ``notice'' have the meanings given such terms in section 5100 
        of title 38, United States Code.
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