Title: Veterans and Family Information Act of 2021
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans and Family Information Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make all of its fact sheets available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and each of the 10 most commonly spoken languages not listed. The bill also requires the VA to establish a publicly available website that provides links to all VA fact sheets. Finally, the VA must report to Congress regarding the utilization of such fact sheets as well as the details of the Language Access Plan of the VA.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2195 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2195

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make all fact sheets of 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs available in English, Spanish, and 
 Tagalog, and other commonly spoken languages, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 23, 2021

  Ms. Hirono introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make all fact sheets of 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs available in English, Spanish, and 
 Tagalog, and other commonly spoken languages, 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 and Family Information Act 
of 2021''.

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FACT SHEETS IN 
              COMMONLY SPOKEN LANGUAGES.

    (a) Languages.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make 
available versions of all fact sheets of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs in--
            (1) English;
            (2) Spanish;
            (3) Tagalog; and
            (4) each of the 10 most commonly spoken languages, other 
        than English, in the United States that are not otherwise 
        covered by paragraphs (2) and (3).
    (b) Website.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain 
        a publicly available website of the Department that contains 
        links to all fact sheets of the Veterans Benefits 
        Administration, Veterans Health Administration, and of the 
        National Cemetery Administration.
            (2) Access to website.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        website established under paragraph (1) is accessible by a 
        clearly labeled hyperlink on the homepage of the Department.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report regarding fact sheets described in subsection 
        (a) and details of the Language Access Plan of the Department 
        of Veteran Affairs.
            (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) What the Secretary determines constitutes a 
                fact sheet of the Department for purposes of this 
                section.
                    (B) How such fact sheets are used and distributed 
                other than on and through the website of the 
                Department.
                    (C) How such Language Access Plan is communicated 
                to veterans, family members of veterans, and 
                caregivers.
                    (D) 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.
                    (E) Other demographic information that the 
                Secretary determines appropriate regarding veterans 
                with limited English proficiency.
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