119-s2501

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2501 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2501

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 29, 2025

 Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. King) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
 Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, 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 Scam And Fraud Evasion Act 
of 2025'' or the ``VSAFE Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS SCAM AND FRAUD EVASION OFFICER.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``

Sec. 325. Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer
 ``

    (a) Establishment.--There is in the Department a Veterans Scam 
and Fraud Evasion Officer, who shall--
 ``

    (1) be responsible for fraud and scam prevention, 
 reporting, and incident response plans at the Department; and
 ``

    (2) serve as a central point of contact to direct 
 veterans to resources to prevent and mitigate fraud and scams.
 ``

    (b) Responsibilities.--The Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion 
Officer shall carry out the following responsibilities:
 ``

    (1) Providing comprehensive communication from the 
 Secretary to employees of the Department and veterans, their 
 families, caregivers, and survivors during strategic and time-
 sensitive fraud and scam incidents.
 ``

    (2) Establishing consistent guidance across the 
 enterprise for employees as well as veterans, their families, 
 caregivers, and survivors on how to identify, report, and avoid 
 fraud and scam attempts.
 ``

    (3) Promoting the VSAFE Fraud Hotline and VSAFE.gov 
 website of the Department (and any successor resources) and 
 identifying other identity theft resources available to 
 veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors, including 
 with respect to actions made by the Secretary to protect the 
 identities of veterans and their beneficiaries.
 ``

    (4) Developing methods to monitor fraud and scam metrics 
 within the Department--
 ``
        (A) to provide internal and external reporting;
 ``
        (B) to enable advanced data analytics; and
 ``
            (C) to facilitate proactive and robust fraud and 
 scam trend identification.
 ``

    (5) Developing comprehensive training plans for 
 Department employees fielding fraud and scam inquiries and 
 reports.
 ``

    (6) Coordinating with the Inspector General of the 
 Department and other Federal departments and agencies, 
 including the Executive Office of the President, the Office of 
 Management and Budget, the Internal Revenue Service, the 
 Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Consumer 
 Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Defense, the 
 Department of Education, the Social Security Administration, 
 and other relevant agencies--
 ``
        (A) to develop a whole-of-government view within 
 the Department to improve fraud prevention efforts 
 within the Department;
 ``
        (B) to identify the proper avenues for veterans 
 to report fraud attempts and receive assistance; and
 ``
            (C) to identify opportunities for coordination 
 with such departments and agencies.
 ``

    (7) Consulting with veterans service organizations and 
 State, local, and tribal governments, as necessary, to improve 
 understanding of potential fraud and scam risks to veterans.
 ``
            (c) Full-Time Employees.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to authorize an increase in the number of full-time employees 
otherwise authorized for the Department.
 ``
            (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the authority of the Office of Inspector General of 
the Department as otherwise provided in this title or in chapter 4 of 
title 5 (commonly referred to as the Inspector General Act of 1978).''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``325. Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer.''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.

 

Section 5503
            (d) (7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting ``January 30, 2032''.
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