I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3278 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs is informed of the interment of unclaimed deceased 

veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2015 

Mr. ROYCE (for himself, Mr. COOK, Ms. HAHN, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. 

PETERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs is informed of the interment of unclaimed deceased veterans, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Dignified 

5 Burial Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INFORMATION CONCERNING INTERMENTS OF UN2 CLAIMED DECEASED VETERANS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 24 of title 38, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 2415. Information concerning interments of un7 claimed deceased veterans 

8 ‘‘(a) SCHEDULED INTERMENT.—At the same time 

9 that the Secretary confirms to a covered entity the eligi10 bility of an unclaimed deceased veteran to burial benefits, 

11 the Secretary shall request from the covered entity the 

12 scheduled date of the interment of the unclaimed deceased 

13 veteran. If the covered entity does not provide to the Sec14 retary such a scheduled date, the Secretary shall repeat 

15 such request during each period not exceeding 30 days, 

16 as determined appropriate by the Secretary, beginning on 

17 the date on which the Secretary makes such initial request 

18 and ending on the date on which the Secretary confirms 

19 either such scheduled date or the date on which the vet20 eran was interred. 

21 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than March 1 of 

22 each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

23 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 

24 the Senate a report on unclaimed deceased veterans who 

25 were interred after the 30-day period following the date 

26 on which the Secretary made an initial request regarding 


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1 such veteran under subsection (a). Such report shall in2 clude— 

3 ‘‘(1) during the year prior to the year in which 

4 the report is submitted, the number of unclaimed de5 ceased veterans in each State covered by a request 

6 made under subsection (a); and 

7 ‘‘(2) of the number of veterans described in 

8 paragraph (1)— 

9 ‘‘(A) the number of veterans who were not 

10 interred during such 30-day period; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the number of veterans for whom a 

12 scheduled interment date was provided by the 

13 covered entity to the Secretary but the inter14 ment did not occur as so scheduled. 

15 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) The term ‘burial benefits’ means benefits 

17 provided by the Secretary under chapter 23 of this 

18 title with respect to funeral expenses, the furnishing 

19 of a casket or urn, or transportation. 

20 ‘‘(2) The term ‘covered entity’ means a local 

21 coroner, medical examiner, public administrator, fu22 neral director, county veterans service officer, vet23 erans service organization, or other entity who take 

24 responsibility for burial arrangements of an un25 claimed deceased veteran. 


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1 ‘‘(3) The term ‘unclaimed deceased veteran’ 

2 means a deceased veteran with respect to whom the 

3 Secretary determines that there is no next of kin or 

4 other person claiming the body of the deceased vet5 eran.’’. 

6 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

7 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

8 after the item relating to section 2414 the following new 

9 item: 

‘‘2415. Information concerning interments of unclaimed deceased veterans.’’. 

Æ 


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