Bresnahan’s Bill to Simplify Veterans Forms Passes Out of Committee
WASHINGTON, DC: Today, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) released the following statement in after his legislation, H.R. 1286, the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, passed out of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs yesterday. The bill, which passed unanimously out of committee, would simplify forms required by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans and survivors.
“I am incredibly pleased to see my bill pass out of committee and take the next step in the legislative process,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “Our military members dedicate their lives to serving our nation – the last thing they need when they come home are mountains of daunting paperwork. I want to thank my colleagues on the committee for their vote of support. Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District is home to nearly 40,000 veterans. I am proud to spearhead this legislation for each and every one of them and their families.”
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) within VA requires veterans and survivors to complete standard forms to initiate and pursue claims for VA benefits, including disability compensation, pension, and survivors’ benefits. These forms can often be arduous and difficult to understand for veterans or their survivors, and failure to do correctly fill them out can result in delays in processing their claim, delays in receiving a decision on their claim, or even a denial of their claim.
Rep. Bresnahan introduced the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act to simplify the forms process to make VA standard forms more user-friendly. The legislation would require VA to contract with a nonpartisan, federally funded research entity to conduct a study on, and provide recommendations for, revising VA forms to be more understandable for veterans and their survivors. Following this study, the VA Secretary would be required to report findings to Congress and implement recommendations.
You can find the bill text here.
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