H.R. 6588

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6588 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6588

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expedite the processing 
of claims for disability compensation by veterans affected by major 
disasters.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 10, 2025

Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, and Mr. Lieu) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expedite the processing 
of claims for disability compensation by veterans affected by major 
disasters.

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 ``Priority Response for Veterans 
Impacted by Disasters and Emergencies Act'' or the ``PROVIDE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs sets forth criteria 
for priority processing of veterans' disability claims by the 
Department.
(2) Such criteria include veterans affected by extreme 
financial hardship, homelessness, terminal illness, and 
participants in the Department's Fully Developed Claim program.
(3) Currently there is no process in place to prioritize 
the disability claims of veterans affected by major disasters 
such as fires and floods.
(4) Priority claims processing for veterans affected by 
major disasters will significantly help such veterans begin 
rebuilding their lives.

SEC. 3. PRIORITY CLAIMS PROCESSING IN THE EVENT OF A MAJOR DISASTER.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations setting 
forth criteria for priority processing of a claim for compensation 
under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code. Individuals whose 
claim shall be eligible for such priority processing shall include--
(1) veterans affected by extreme financial hardship;
(2) veterans affected by homelessness;
(3) veterans diagnosed with a terminal illness;
(4) participants in the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Fully Developed Claim program; and
(5) veterans who live in an area for which the President 
has declared a major disaster under section 401 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5170).
(b) Special Considerations for Claims Processing in the Event of a 
Major Disaster.--The Secretary shall prescribe additional regulations 
relating only to subsection (a)(5). Such additional regulations 
include--
(1) establishing flexible evidence requirements for 
veterans unable to meet the ordinary evidence requirements for 
such a claim due to a major disaster; and
(2) establishing a flexible filing deadline for such a 
claim.
(c) Notice to Veterans of Eligibility for Priority Claims 
Processing.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall post a permanent notice to veterans on the 
Department of Veterans Affairs website of the categories of eligibility 
for priority processing of such claims, including the changes to such 
categories made pursuant to subsection (a).
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