119-hr3455

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3455 Reported in House

    (RH) ]

<DOC>

 Union Calendar No. 292
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3455

 [Report No. 119-340]

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive 
study on the use of distributed ledger technology in the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 15, 2025

 Ms. Mace introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Veterans' Affairs

 October 10, 2025

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
 and ordered to be printed

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive 
study on the use of distributed ledger technology in the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs, 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 ``Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger 
Innovation Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

 It is the sense of Congress that--

    (1) veterans deserve efficient, transparent, and secure 
 access to benefits and services earned through their honorable 
 service;

    (2) distributed ledger technology offers promising 
 solutions for enhancing data integrity, security, and 
 transparency; and

    (3) exploring innovative technologies such as distributed 
 ledger technology could significantly improve the allocation of 
 benefits, management of insurance programs, and maintenance of 
 records within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS STUDY ON USE OF DISTRIBUTED 
 LEDGER TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a 
comprehensive study on the feasibility, potential benefits, and risks 
associated with implementing distributed ledger technology to improve 
claims adjudication and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the 
Department's benefits administration systems.

    (b) Matters for Examination.--In conducting the study under 
subsection

    (a) , the Secretary shall examine how distributed ledger 
technology could--

    (1) improve the clarity, traceability, and reliability of 
 veterans' benefits claims by securely recording key steps in 
 the adjudication process;

    (2) reduce the risk of fraudulent and inaccurate claims by 
 verification processes;

    (3) improve accountability in claims handling; and

    (4) aid in identifying irregularities in benefits delivery.
            (c) Consultation.--In conducting the study under subsection

    (a) , 
the Secretary shall consult with--

    (1) experts in distributed ledger technology;

    (2) representatives of veterans service organizations;

    (3) the heads of other Federal agencies with experience 
 using distributed ledger technology; and

    (4) any other stakeholders the Secretary determines 
 appropriate.
            (d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
on the findings of the study under subsection

    (a) . Such report shall 
include each of the following:

    (1) The findings of the study regarding the feasibility of 
 implementing distributed ledger technology in the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs.

    (2) A description of potential benefits and risks 
 associated with the implementation of such technology in the 
 Department.

    (3) Any recommendations of the Secretary regarding pilot 
 programs or other initiatives that should be implemented to 
 test the use of distributed ledger technology in specific areas 
 of Department operations, such as benefits distribution or 
 insurance claims.

    (4) Any legislative or administrative actions required to 
 implement such technology in the Department.

    (e) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) The term ``distributed ledger'' means a ledger that 
 is--
        (A) is shared across a set of distributed nodes, 
 which are devices or processes, that participate in a 
 network and store a complete or partial replica of the 
 ledger;
        (B) is synchronized between the nodes;
            (C) has data appended to it by following a 
 specified consensus mechanism;
            (D) publicly accessible or restricted to a subset 
 of participants; and
        (E) may require participants to have authorization 
 to perform certain actions or require no authorization.

    (2) The term ``distributed ledger technology'' means 
 technology that enables the operation and use of distributed 
 ledgers.
 Union Calendar No. 292

119th CONGRESS

 1st Session

 H. R. 3455

 [Report No. 119-340]

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive 
study on the use of distributed ledger technology in the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 October 10, 2025

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
 and ordered to be printed