Providing Benefits Information in Spanish and Tagalog for Veterans and Families Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2943) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make all fact sheets of the Department of Veterans Affairs in English and Spanish, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2943

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 ``Providing Benefits Information in Spanish and Tagalog for Veterans and Families Act''. SEC. 2. FACT SHEETS.

(a) Languages.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make versions of all fact sheets of the Department of Veterans Affairs in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

(b) Website.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish and maintain a publicly available website of the Department of Veterans Affairs that contains links to all fact sheets of the Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration, and of the National Cemetery Administration. The website shall be accessible by a clearly labelled hyperlink on the homepage of the Department.

(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit a report to Congress regarding fact sheets described in subsection (a) and details of the Language Access Plan of the Department of Veteran Affairs. The report shall include the following:

(1) What the Secretary determines constitutes a fact sheet of the Department for purposes of this Act.

(2) How such fact sheets are utilized and distributed other than on and through the website of the Department.

(3) How such Language Access Plan is communicated to veterans, family members of veterans, and caregivers.

(4) The roles and responsibilities of patient advocates in the coordination of care for veterans with limited English proficiency, family members of such veterans, and caregivers.

(5) Other demographic information that the Secretary determines appropriate regarding veterans with limited English proficiency.

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Mr. TAKANO. 2943, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Mr. Cisneros' bill, H.R. 2943, as amended, which would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide all VA fact sheets in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

One of my chief priorities as chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs is to remove barriers that stand between veterans and their benefits. A language barrier should not prevent veterans from accessing the benefits they earned, and the burden should not be placed on veterans to request and wait for the VA to provide a translator.

Mandating that fact sheets be provided in Spanish and Tagalog will break down a significant barrier that stands in between Latinx and Filipino veterans and their VA benefits.

Mr. Cisneros' bill, H.R. 2943, as amended, mandates that all fact sheets be available in English, Spanish, and Tagalog. Our veterans answered the call to serve from places around the world, including the Philippines and Puerto Rico, where English is not the predominant language. There are communities across the U.S., including in my district, where Spanish is commonly spoken and understood. This fix is easy; it does not come at an increased cost; and it is the right thing to do.

The Department of Veterans Affairs produces fact sheets that explain many VA programs and benefits. The VA fact sheets provide key facts, such as eligibility criteria, documents needed to help support claims, and links to appropriate application forms. These fact sheets explain the process for getting a VA-guaranteed home loan, applying for disability compensation, using GI Bill benefits, and obtaining burial benefits for veterans and their surviving family members.

Brochures and fact sheets explain VA healthcare benefits to veterans and caregivers. These fact sheets also advise veterans on the supporting documentation they need to help them apply for benefits so they are correctly identified as eligible or their claims are successfully adjudicated.

During the codel I led to Puerto Rico this past weekend, I met with veterans who told me they are not receiving information on VA programs, and when they do receive information, it is in English, not Spanish. The one veteran who received a brochure on the MISSION Act in Spanish said it was incomplete compared to the English materials.

This disparity should not exist. Veterans, regardless of the language they speak or where they live, should be able to understand how to access their benefits easily.

I ask my colleagues to help our veterans who have done so much to serve our country and join me in supporting H.R. 2943, as amended.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cisneros), my good friend and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who is also a veteran himself, the author of this legislation.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I am also prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time to render my final comments.

Our veterans and their survivors deserve the best care possible. The VA benefits application process can be confusing. Congress has taken action to reduce confusion and ease the application process.

I remember when, only a few years ago, initial claims were taking more than a year. Today, initial disability claims are being completed in less than 160 days. This is, in part, due to streamlining the application process and providing more information to veterans.

As I learned during the codel to Puerto Rico, in emergencies like Hurricane Maria, veterans need to know how the VA can help them prepare for the next storm. They need to know that they can get additional supplies of medication. Veterans need to know where to go in an emergency when communications are disrupted. They also need to know how to apply for assistance and emergency benefits after a disaster like Hurricane Maria because these disasters will happen again.

The VA fact sheet on natural disasters, which tells veterans and their families which website to go to and where to call when their benefits are interrupted due to natural disasters, is only available in English. Yet, both the Philippines and Puerto Rico experience natural disasters like hurricanes, typhoons, and earthquakes.

Mandating that VA fact sheets are made available in more than one language is yet another example of ways we can eliminate barriers for our veterans, streamline the application process, and help them get to the right resources when there is an emergency. Providing fact sheets in Tagalog and Spanish could even save lives.

Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support H.R. 2943, as amended, and, again, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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