Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2309 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2309

 To direct a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to certify the death of a veteran not later than 48 
hours after such physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2025

Mr. Boozman (for himself and Ms. Hassan) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to certify the death of a veteran not later than 48 
hours after such physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death, 
                        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 ``Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death 
Certificate Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) States and counties have reported significant delays in 
        the signing of death certificates for veterans who pass away 
        from natural causes.
            (2) Such delays, caused by the refusal of, or postponement 
        by, physicians of the Department of Veterans Affairs have, in 
        some cases, lasted as long as eight weeks.
            (3) Such delays prevent the timely burial of deceased 
        veterans and access to survivor benefits.

SEC. 3. TIMELY CERTIFICATION OF THE DEATH OF A VETERAN.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) VA physician or nurse practitioner.--Subject to 
        paragraph (2), a physician or nurse practitioner employed by 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs who is the primary care 
        provider of a veteran who dies of natural causes shall certify 
        the death of such veteran not later than 48 hours after such 
        physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death.
            (2) Coroner or medical examiner.--If a physician or nurse 
        practitioner described in paragraph (1) cannot comply with such 
        paragraph with respect to a death described in such paragraph, 
        a coroner or medical examiner in the jurisdiction where such 
        death occurred may certify such death.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
        of Representatives a report regarding compliance with 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Elements.--Each report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include, with respect to the year preceding the date of 
        the report, the following elements:
                    (A) The percentage of cases in which a physician or 
                nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary complied 
                with subsection (a)(1).
                    (B) The number of cases in which such a physician 
                or nurse practitioner could not so comply.
                    (C) An identification of the most common reasons 
                why such a physician or nurse practitioner could not so 
                comply.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall require any 
employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including a physician 
or nurse practitioner, to take an action not in compliance with the 
laws, regulations, or requirements of the appropriate jurisdiction in 
which the employee is licensed or practicing, or in which a death may 
need to be certified.
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