{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://valadao.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3240", "House Passes Congressman Valadao's Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act", "2025-09-15", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "CA", "David G. Valadao", "V000129", "valadao.house.gov", "valadao", "https://valadao.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congressman David Valadao\u2019s (CA-22) bill, the Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act. This legislation would standardize software the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses to process benefit claims and streamline the process to ensure no veterans or survivors are left behind when seeking benefits they have earned.\n\nCongressman David Valadao (CA-22) originally introduced this bill in the 118th Congress.\n\n\u201cOur veterans put their lives on the line to defend our nation, and they shouldn\u2019t have to fight another battle just to access the benefits they\u2019ve earned,\u201d said Congressman Valadao. \u201cThe VA\u2019s current claims system is inefficient, creates backlogs, and burdens veterans and their families with unnecessary paperwork. House passage of my bill is an important step to expand automation tools, streamline the process, and ensure our veterans receive the care they deserve, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to get it across the finish line.\u201d\n\nCongressman Valadao spoke on the House Floor during debate on his legislation. Watch his remarks here or read as prepared below:\n\nMr. Speaker,\n\nI rise to urge support for my bill, the Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Act.\n\nOur veterans put their lives on the line to defend this country. When they come home, they shouldn\u2019t have to fight another battle just to get the benefits they\u2019ve earned.\n\nUnfortunately, outdated systems at the VA are causing unnecessary delays that create real hardships for both veterans and their families.\n\nTo speed up disability claims, the VA has used automation tools like AI to draft letters and gather documents. But that same technology hasn\u2019t been applied to other types of claims, such as pensions or survivors\u2019 benefits.\n\nThis has led to growing backlogs and, in some cases, missed benefits altogether.\n\nMy bill takes steps to fix this. It requires the VA to expand the use of automation tools, ensure documents are properly labeled in the system, and improve coordination between offices.\n\nIt also directs the VA to use these tools for pensions and survivors\u2019 benefits so families aren\u2019t left behind.\n\nBy improving coordination across the VA and other federal agencies, we can also reduce overpayments and prevent families from being hit with unexpected debt notices.\n\nThis is a commonsense bill that will help ensure veterans and survivors receive the benefits they deserve in a timely and efficient manner, and I urge my colleagues to join me in support.\n\nI also want to thank Chairman Bost and his staff at the Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs for their work on this important bill.\n\nThank you, and I yield back.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has several offices that handle different types of benefits claims. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) processes claims, the Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals reviews denied claims, and the Debt Management Center handles debts caused by VA overpayments. Throughout the claims and appeals process, VA employees gather evidence, send letters to veterans and survivors, and make decisions based on the evidence. To speed up disability claims, the VA has used AI tools to draft letters and gather key documents. However, these tools haven\u2019t been extended to other claims like pensions or survivors\u2019 benefits which leads to long delays\u2014sometimes years\u2014for those decisions. Claims processing is also slowed by mislabeled documents in VA\u2019s electronic system which can cause delays or even missed evidence that could support a veteran\u2019s claim.\n\nRead the full bill here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T15:07:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://valadao.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3240"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.593566033989191, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}