Veterans Dignified Burial Act

Bill: 114-hr-3278
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Royce, Edward R. [R-CA-39]
Introduced: 2015-07-29
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals

Congressional oversight

Government information and archives

Veterans' organizations and recognition
Latest action: action_date: 2015-08-06
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-07-29
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Veterans Dignified Burial Act </strong></p> <p>Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) upon confirming the veteran status of a deceased veteran in the custody of a local medical examiner, funeral director, county service group, or other similar entity, to request from that entity the specific date of the veteran's scheduled interment; and (2) during each 30-day period following the request to repeat it until the entity confirms the scheduled internment date or that the veteran has been interred.</p> <p>Requires the VA, by March 1 of each year, to report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on unclaimed deceased veterans interred after the 30-day period following the initial VA request.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3278 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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans Dignified Burial Act . 2. Information concerning interments of unclaimed deceased veterans (a) In general Chapter 24 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 2415. Information concerning interments of unclaimed deceased veterans (a) Scheduled interment At the same time that the Secretary confirms to a covered entity the eligibility of an unclaimed deceased veteran to burial benefits, the Secretary shall request from the covered entity the scheduled date of the interment of the unclaimed deceased veteran. If the covered entity does not provide to the Secretary such a scheduled date, the Secretary shall repeat such request during each period not exceeding 30 days, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, beginning on the date on which the Secretary makes such initial request and ending on the date on which the Secretary confirms either such scheduled date or the date on which the veteran was interred. (b) Annual report Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on unclaimed deceased veterans who were interred after the 30-day period following the date on which the Secretary made an initial request regarding such veteran under subsection (a). Such report shall include— (1) during the year prior to the year in which the report is submitted, the number of unclaimed deceased veterans in each State covered by a request made under subsection (a); and (2) of the number of veterans described in paragraph (1)— (A) the number of veterans who were not interred during such 30-day period; and (B) the number of veterans for whom a scheduled interment date was provided by the covered entity to the Secretary but the interment did not occur as so scheduled. (c) Definitions In this section: (1) The term burial benefits means benefits provided by the Secretary under chapter 23 of this title with respect to funeral expenses, the furnishing of a casket or urn, or transportation. (2) The term covered entity means a local coroner, medical examiner, public administrator, funeral director, county veterans service officer, veterans service organization, or other entity who take responsibility for burial arrangements of an unclaimed deceased veteran. (3) The term unclaimed deceased veteran means a deceased veteran with respect to whom the Secretary determines that there is no next of kin or other person claiming the body of the deceased veteran. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 2414 the following new item: 2415. Information concerning interments of unclaimed deceased veterans. .