119-s1311

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1311 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1311

 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 notice letters that the Secretary sends to claimants 
 for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2025

 Mr. Banks introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 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 notice letters that the Secretary sends to claimants 
 for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, 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 ``Clear Communication for Veterans 
Claims Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF NOTICES THAT THE SECRETARY OF 
 VETERANS AFFAIRS SENDS TO CLAIMANTS.

    (a) Agreement.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and 
development center

    (FFRDC) for an assessment of notices that the 
Secretary sends to claimants.

    (b) Assessment.--A federally funded research and development center 
that enters to an agreement under subsection

    (a) shall submit to the 
Secretary a written assessment of such notices. The assessment shall 
include the following:

    (1) The determination of the federally funded research and 
 development center, made in consultation with covered entities, 
 whether each such notice may be feasibly altered to reduce 
 paper consumption by, and costs to, the Federal Government.

    (2) The recommendations of the federally funded research 
 and development center regarding how the Secretary may make 
 such notices clearer to claimants, better organized, and more 
 concise.
            (c) Report; Implementation.--Not later than 90 days after the 
Secretary receives the assessment under subsection

    (b) , the Secretary 
shall--

    (1) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
 Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives a copy of such assessment; and

    (2) commence implementing the recommendations in the 
 assessment that are in compliance with the laws administered by 
 the Secretary.
            (d) Deadline for Implementation.--The Secretary shall complete the 
implementation required by subsection
            (c) (2) by not later than one year 
after the date on which the Secretary commences such implementation.

    (e) 

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

    (1) Covered entities.--The term ``covered entities'' 
 includes--
        (A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
        (B) an expert in laws administered by the Secretary 
 of Veterans Affairs;
            (C) a veterans service organization recognized 
 under 

section 5902 of title 38, United States Code;
            (D) an entity that advocates for veterans; and
        (E) an entity that advocates for the survivors of 
 veterans.

    (2) Claimant and notice.--The terms ``claimant'' and 
 ``notice'' have the meanings given such terms in 

section 5100 
 of title 38, United States Code.
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