Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for getting these bills to the floor, including this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 8260, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act. It is a bipartisan bill that ensures that VA quickly identifies, locates, and pays surviving family members the life insurance benefits they are owed.

VA's insurance service already has some tools in place to identify, locate, and pay hard-to-find beneficiaries, but more can be done to prevent these survivors from needlessly waiting during what is likely a difficult time, both emotionally and financially.

My bipartisan bill, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act, will make much needed reforms to allow VA to better identify and locate surviving family members of recently deceased veterans.

By making these reforms, we will make sure they receive the payments and benefits they were owed in a timely manner.

According to the VA, the Department owed more than $155 million to 15,000 individuals at the end of September 2020.

For a widow or widower who is struggling to make ends meet, a life insurance payment of $10,000 makes a world of difference.

Alfred, a constituent of mine in Rochester, New Hampshire, and a Korean war veteran, shared how much this bill will mean to his family. His father-in-law, a veteran of World War II, passed away last year. Alfred's spouse waited for months to receive the survivors benefits owed to her by VA. He contacted our office for help remedying the issue. We were able to help them, but no family should have to jump through hoops for months following the loss of a loved one.

This bill directs the Department to improve and better publicize an online tool that families of veterans can use to search for past due benefits. It expands access to internal and external data sources that will help VA track down veterans' survivors. It makes sure the Department is adequately staffed to perform these searches.

The bill also shortens the unnecessarily long timeframe in which VA is authorized to designate and pay alternate beneficiaries and ensures that procedures for paying alternate beneficiaries are consistent across several different life insurance programs. All of these steps will lead to faster payments to veterans' survivors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina for co-leading this bipartisan bill. I appreciate the strong bipartisan support from my colleagues and from veterans service organizations, including the VFW, American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Modern Military Association of America, and Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Once enacted, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act will have a real and positive impact on the financial well-being of thousands of veterans' families.

Our veterans serve our country and sacrifice so much, and their family members contribute and sacrifice right alongside them. It is of utmost importance that we honor those commitments and support their family members.

The bill passed the Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously in July, and I urge the full House to support its passage today.

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