Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act

Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions, as follows:

H.R. 116: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 151: Ms. Van Duyne.

H.R. 255: Mr. Gill of Texas, Mr. Self, and Ms. Crockett.

H.R. 404: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 429: Mr. Suozzi.

H.R. 479: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 556: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 574: Mr. Van Drew, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Stauber, and

Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 628: Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 659: Mr. Soto, Mrs. Ramirez, and Mr. Garcia of

California.

H.R. 740: Ms. Malliotakis and Mr. Kustoff.

H.R. 802: Ms. Bonamici.

H.R. 833: Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona, Mr. Moran, Mr. Barr, and

Mr. Burlison.

H.R. 842: Mr. Kiley of California and Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 909: Mr. Subramanyam and Ms. Schakowsky.

H.R. 914: Ms. McDonald Rivet.

H.R. 942: Mr. Bresnahan and Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 956: Mr. Biggs of Arizona.

H.R. 1004: Ms. Elfreth and Ms. Kelly of Illinois.

H.R. 1024: Mr. Moran.

H.R. 1041: Mr. Ezell, Mr. Hurd of Colorado, Mr. Cline, and

Ms. De La Cruz.

H.R. 1086: Mrs. Miller-Meeks.

H.R. 1106: Mr. Himes.

H.R. 1151: Mr. Rose.

H.R. 1181: Ms. Fedorchak.

H.R. 1232: Mr. James and Mr. Pfluger.

H.R. 1241: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 1262: Mrs. Hinson and Mr. Garamendi.

H.R. 1286: Mrs. Fischbach.

H.R. 1329: Mr. Burchett and Mr. McCaul.

H.R. 1330: Mr. Suozzi.

H.R. 1357: Mr. Morelle.

H.R. 1378: Mr. Rogers of Kentucky and Mr. Garbarino.

H.R. 1400: Ms. Perez.

H.R. 1415: Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Weber of Texas.

H.R. 1505: Mr. Min.

H.R. 1509: Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Carbajal, Ms. Lee of Florida,

and Mr. Fry.

H.R. 1521: Mr. Harder of California.

H.R. 1539: Mr. Bilirakis.

H.R. 1636: Mr. Thompson of Mississippi.

H.R. 1659: Ms. Budzinski.

H.R. 1676: Mr. Haridopolos.

H.R. 1682: Mr. James.

H.R. 1695: Mr. Rutherford.

H.R. 1709: Mr. Nunn of Iowa.

H.R. 1775: Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 1822: Mr. Owens.

H.R. 1868: Ms. Williams of Georgia.

H.R. 1882: Mr. Gill of Texas.

H.R. 1909: Mr. Wittman.

H.R. 1918: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2028: Ms. Van Duyne and Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2033: Ms. Malliotakis.

H.R. 2109: Mr. Costa.

H.R. 2126: Mr. Brecheen and Mr. James.

H.R. 2145: Ms. Davids of Kansas.

H.R. 2160: Mr. Schmidt.

H.R. 2189: Mr. Fry.

H.R. 2199: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2230: Ms. Malliotakis.

H.R. 2253: Mr. Frost.

H.R. 2290: Mr. Garamendi.

H.R. 2294: Ms. McBride.

H.R. 2311: Mr. Jackson of Illinois.

H.R. 2315: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2355: Mr. Mann.

H.R. 2395: Ms. Hageman.

H.R. 2514: Ms. Budzinski.

H.R. 2531: Mr. Larson of Connecticut and Ms. Stansbury.

H.R. 2536: Mr. Riley of New York.

H.R. 2538: Ms. Stansbury and Mr. Graves.

H.R. 2550: Mr. Clyburn.

H.R. 2599: Mr. Issa.

H.R. 2623: Mr. Wied.

H.R. 2687: Ms. Pelosi.

H.R. 2705: Mr. Collins and Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2729: Mr. Stauber, Mr. Rose, Mrs. Radewagen, and Mr.

Peters.

H.R. 2736: Mrs. Sykes.

H.R. 2753: Ms. Chu, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Goodlander,

Mr. Meeks, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Dexter, and Mr.

Pocan.

H.R. 2761: Mr. Goldman of New York.

H.R. 2767: Ms. Norton.

H.R. 2781: Mr. Bishop.

H.R. 2788: Mr. Cohen.

H.R. 2841: Ms. Boebert.

H.R. 2904: Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick.

H.R. 2941: Mr. Krishnamoorthi.

H.R. 2969: Mr. Cline.

H.R. 2979: Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 3033: Mr. Pfluger.

H.R. 3036: Mr. Takano.

H.R. 3043: Mr. McGuire.

H.R. 3048: Mr. Fitzpatrick.

H.R. 3098: Mr. Correa.

H.R. 3107: Mr. Bishop.

H.R. 3112: Ms. Perez, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick,

and Mr. Sherman.

H.R. 3128: Ms. Sewell.

H.R. 3131: Mr. Rogers of Kentucky.

H.R. 3142: Mr. Bacon.

H.R. 3177: Mr. Steube.

H.R. 3179: Ms. Van Duyne and Mr. Self.

H.R. 3195: Mr. Rogers of Alabama.

H.R. 3199: Ms. Omar, Ms. Meng, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania,

Mr. Mullin, and Mr. Sherman.

H.R. 3204: Mr. Neguse.

H.J. Res. 38: Mr. Steube.

H. Res. 155: Ms. Pingree.

H. Res. 166: Ms. Norton.

H. Res. 267: Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of

California, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. McClellan, Mr.

Bacon, Mr. Torres of New York, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Ansari, Ms.

Tlaib, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Titus, Mr.

Soto, and Mr. Fields.

H. Res. 364: Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Ms. Malliotakis,

Mr. Fallon, and Mr. Kustoff.

H. Res. 380: Mr. Pocan, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. McCollum, and Ms.

Tokuda.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1286, Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, as amended.

Time and time again we hear from veterans that they cannot make heads or tails out of some of the forms necessary to access veterans' benefits. Not only have we heard it from veterans, but we have also heard it from accredited experts who assist in preparing disability claims.

This must be corrected. We cannot have veterans leaving earned benefits on the table because they put a piece of information on a line below where it should have been because the form was hard to understand.

It is not a stretch to think of a veteran attempting to file for a claim in their later years when their eyes don't see as well or they can't remember all the minute details from service long ago.

That can be a frustrating experience, and H.R. 1286 proposes that the VA enter into an agreement with a federally-funded research and development center to assess the forms VA is currently using.

Sometimes, when you are so close to a problem, it is hard to see what the core of the issue is. This bill will allow fresh eyes to review and study the forms VA uses in order to find areas for improvement. These could be small fixes that lead to positive improvement in a veteran's life.

As we work to better the veterans' experience, we should be looking at making large programs better. We should be looking at building new state-of-the-art facilities with technology that integrates seamlessly between agencies, doctors, and departments. We should be making big changes which make big impacts, but we should also commit to small changes that can also improve the veteran experience.

That is what this bill does. It starts to move in the direction of making forms easier for our veterans to review, complete, and ultimately get their earned benefits.

I support this bill and the agreement to enter into a study to see where there is room for improvement as veterans seek better access to their earned benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill and to continue to advocate for a better veteran experience, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1286, Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to speak on H.R. 1286, the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act.

I am proud to lead this bipartisan bill with the support of Chairman Bost and the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

When our veterans return home from serving our country, they are often tasked with filling out dozens of pages of paperwork just to receive the benefits they rightfully earned.

These forms are often confusing, difficult to navigate, and duplicative. It is crucial that our veterans and survivors understand how to fill out each form completely and accurately because failure to do so can result in delays in processing their claim, delays in receiving a decision on their claim, or even a denial of their claim.

Veterans and survivors are often forced to rely on Veteran Service Organizations, VSOs, to assist them with completing forms because these VA standard forms, including their attached instructions, can be disorganized and confusing to navigate. These VSOs have highlighted the need to improve VA's standard forms so that they are more straightforward and user friendly.

That is why I introduced the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act. It would require the 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.

Our military members dedicated their lives to serving our Nation. The last thing they need when they come

home are mountains of daunting paperwork. Veterans and their families have the best chance of accessing their earned VA benefits and should not be subjected to a VA claims process that is more difficult and stressful than necessary.

Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District is home to 40,000 veterans. I am proud to spearhead this legislation for each and every one of them and their families.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1286 because we owe our veterans a system that works efficiently and effectively on their behalf.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

(H.R. 1286) 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 forms that the Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1286, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1286, as amended. The bill was introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bresnahan), my friend and colleague.

This bill would require VA to contract with research entities to improve the forms that VA requires veterans and their families to fill out throughout the VA claims process.

Incorrectly filling out these forms can force veterans to wait longer for a decision on their claim and cause veterans to receive wrongful denials of their claim.

Veterans and their advocates have told Congress time and time again how disorganized and difficult these forms can be. As a veteran myself, it has been a challenge for me to complete these forms for my own disability claims.

We must make VA's standard forms more understandable for veterans so they can more easily access their earned VA benefits. This bill would do just that.

Representative Bresnahan's commonsense bill would ensure that Congress continues to push VA forward to better serve veterans, and I am proud to co-lead it.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1286, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bresnahan), the sponsor of this bill and the Representative from Pennsylvania's Eighth District.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I missed votes because of an important family matter. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 132 of the 119th Congress and YEA on Roll Call No. 133 of the 119th Congress.

Personal Explanation