Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 4190, the Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans Act, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, it is an unfortunate reality that veterans, especially elderly veterans, find themselves as prime targets for fraud. It is even more unfortunate that oftentimes this fraud is perpetuated by those closest to the veteran, sometimes even family and friends who are tasked with assisting that veteran.

Thankfully, VA has a set of policies and procedures for uncovering, investigating, and prosecuting that fraud, which includes making restitution to the veteran.

Earlier this year, we passed H.R. 4016, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, introduced by Representative Gerry Connolly, to help expedite that process. I urge the Senate to quickly take up that bill, as well.

Sadly, though, it sometimes happens that the veteran who was the victim of this fraud passes away before VA is able to make restitution, but VA is currently barred from making the estate of that beneficiary whole.

H.R. 4190, introduced by Representative David Trone, seeks to create a set of procedures for VA to follow to restore or reinstate benefits for veterans who were defrauded but unfortunately die before VA can compensate them.

More importantly, for those veterans who may have been defrauded by a family member, it also prevents VA from repaying benefits to anyone who may have been a party to the fraud, regardless of whether they may have been named in the veteran's will as an heir.

Mr. Speaker, we owe our veterans and their survivors all the protections we can possibly afford them through the law. H.R. 4190 offers one more avenue to ensure veterans are receiving the benefits they have earned in spite of those who seek to defraud them.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I encourage the Senate to quickly pass this bill, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone), my good friend who is the author of H.R. 4190. He currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee. He is also a former member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4190, the Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4016) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4016 as offered by Representative Connolly. This bill would ensure that VA's fiduciary program is managed effectively so that our Nation's most vulnerable veterans receive the benefits they earned.

The VA appoints fiduciaries for veterans who are unable to manage their VA benefits. A fiduciary misuses a veteran's VA benefit when they spend a veteran's benefit on anything other than the veteran's care and welfare. However, before a veteran who is a victim of misuse can be made financially whole, the VA is required to determine whether the misuse was as a result of VA negligence, but VA does not monitor whether these negligence determinations are being made in a timely way. This bureaucratic red tape has resulted in long wait times for veterans to recoup their misused benefits. Some veterans have passed away before recouping their misused benefits. We must ensure the VA promptly makes whole any veteran who was a victim of misuse by a fiduciary.

H.R. 4016 would ensure just that. It would prohibit VA from withholding repayment of misused benefits because the VA is still working on a negligence determination.

It would also require the VA to establish methods to ensure that negligence determinations are made in a timely way. Veterans deserve to receive their benefits without bureaucratic hurdles and unnecessary delays.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4016, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Madam Speaker, once again, I encourage Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for yielding me time to speak.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 4016, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act. This bipartisan piece of legislation, introduced by Representative Ciscomani and Representative Connolly, aims to enhance the repayment process by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for misappropriated benefits.

Our veterans have selflessly served our Nation with honor and courage, and it is our duty to ensure they receive the benefits they rightly deserve and have earned. However, instances of misappropriation of veterans' benefits are a grave injustice that cannot be tolerated. This bill addresses this issue head-on by instituting crucial reforms to ensure that our veterans are promptly reimbursed for any benefits misappropriated by their fiduciaries.

Under this proposed legislation, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is mandated to reissue benefits to veterans in cases where they are defrauded of their benefits. Additionally, the Secretary must make a good faith effort to recoup misused funds from the responsible fiduciaries, thereby holding them accountable for their actions.

As a 24-year military veteran, I would also like to state that this bill ensures that veterans are not unduly penalized due to delays in determining negligence and guarantees that they receive their benefits owed to them in a timely manner. We cannot turn a blind eye to the injustices faced by our veterans.

By supporting H.R. 4016, we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of those who have bravely served our country.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this crucial legislation and standing up for our veterans.

Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and Mr. Bost for their leadership and support in trying to fix a wrong.

Mr. Bost, I think, perfectly described the intent of this bill and what the problem is, and I think Mr. Takano did a great job in helping us understand what pain is incurred when veterans in a fiduciary status experience fraud and cannot get reimbursed in a timely manner for their benefits.

As both gentlemen indicated, we have examples of veterans who have died before this issue is adjudicated. That is wrong. No veteran and no family of a veteran should have to go through that once the determination has been made that fraud has occurred.

More than 50 percent of the people in this fiduciary category are pensioners. As Mr. Takano said, this is among the most vulnerable population of veterans, so they are easy to defraud, easy to exploit and take advantage of, and the government must stand by those men and women who served in uniform, served bravely, and deserve the best treatment from their government, not negligent treatment.

Today, this bill, H.R. 4016, the Veterans Fraud Reimbursement Act, grew out of actually an encounter I had with veterans in my district who were describing this very problem. We can't solve every problem, but this one we can.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for making this a bipartisan effort. I hope that it will pass with no opposition and clear the Senate so that we can start making sure that our veterans are kept whole.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill from Representative Connolly, H.R. 4016, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Beneficiaries in the fiduciary program are among the most vulnerable in VA's care. Because they are often elderly or mentally ill, they are at greater risk for financial abuse and theft of benefits. Unfortunately, in spite of VA's best efforts at vetting proposed fiduciaries, bad actors do arise from time to time.

When that happens, theft or misuse can have a devastating impact on the financial stability of the beneficiary. Not only that, the strain of being taken advantage of can further erode their physical and mental health, as well.

As such, I support this bill's goal of speeding restitution to those beneficiaries who may have suffered from theft or misuse of funds by a fiduciary. We must empower the VA to make these beneficiaries whole as soon as possible. It is the right thing to do.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from

Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the coauthor of this legislation who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4016, and I yield back the balance of my time.