Improving Veterans’ Experience Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3578 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3578

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Office of
              Veterans Experience, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2025

Ms. Budzinski (for herself, Ms. Brownley, and Mr. McGarvey) introduced
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Office of
              Veterans Experience, 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 ``Improving Veterans' Experience Act
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code,
        is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 325. Veterans Experience Office
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department within
the Office of the Secretary an office to be known as the `Veterans
Experience Office' (in this section referred to as the `Office').
    ``(b) Head of Office.--(1) The head of the Office shall be the
Chief Veterans Experience Officer.
    ``(2) The Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall--
            ``(A) be appointed by the Secretary from among individuals
        the Secretary considers qualified to perform the duties of the
        position;
            ``(B) report directly to the Secretary; and
            ``(C) be responsible for carrying out the functions of the
        Office set forth under subsection (c).
    ``(c) Function.--The functions of the Office are as follows:
            ``(1) Carrying out the key customer experience initiatives
        of the Department relating to veterans' and other
        beneficiaries' satisfaction with and usage of benefits and
        services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary for
        which they are eligible, including setting the strategy,
        framework, policy, and other guidance for the Department
        relating to customer experience, including ensuring the
        activities of the Office and those of other organizations and
        offices within the Department are coordinated and not
        duplicative.
            ``(2) Requiring the heads of other organizations and
        offices within the Department to report regularly on customer
        experience metrics, action plans, and other customer experience
        improvement efforts to the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.
            ``(3) Collecting veteran-derived data--
                    ``(A) to determine veteran and beneficiary
                satisfaction with and usage of the benefits and
                services furnished under laws administered by the
                Secretary for which they are eligible; and
                    ``(B) to be considered during policymaking.
            ``(4) Providing strategic guidance and strategies to
        Department entities for engaging with veterans and
        beneficiaries regarding benefits and services furnished under
        laws administered by the Secretary, including those not using
        such benefits and services.
            ``(5) Assessing and advising the Secretary on the accuracy
        and helpfulness of the websites and other customer-facing
        information of the Department, be it available electronically
        or in any other format.
            ``(6) Assessing and advising the Secretary on the status
        and opportunities for improvement of the customer service
        efforts of the Department.
    ``(d) Reports.--(1) Each year, the Chief Veterans Experience
Officer shall submit to the Secretary a summary of the data received by
the Chief Veterans Experience Officer under subsection (c)(2).
    ``(2) Each year, not later than 180 days after the date on which
the Secretary receives the summary under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall submit to Congress an annual summary and analysis of the matters
summarized pursuant to such paragraph.
    ``(3) Each annual summary submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) shall
include the following:
            ``(A) Data regarding customer service and experience
        feedback, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under
        laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic
        data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback.
            ``(B) Data regarding veteran and beneficiary satisfaction
        with and usage of benefits or services, disaggregated by
        benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the
        Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and
        beneficiaries providing the feedback, including--
                    ``(i) potential reasons for not using the benefits
                or services, such as--
                            ``(I) eligibility;
                            ``(II) lack of knowledge or awareness of
                        existence of benefit or service;
                            ``(III) barriers of technology,
                        information, or time; and
                            ``(IV) other related reasons; and
                    ``(ii) an analysis of how such reasons may be
                addressed.
    ``(e) Staff and Resources.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure that--
            ``(A) the Office has such staff, resources, and access to
        customer service and experience information as may be necessary
        to carry out the functions of the Office; and
            ``(B) any information provided to the Office does not
        include personally identifiable information of an individual
        veteran, survivor, dependent, or other beneficiary unless such
        individual provides appropriate consent to allow such
        information to be shared with the Office.
    ``(2) Funds available for basic pay and other administrative
expenses of other Department organizations and offices may be available
to reimburse the Office for all services provided at rates which will
recover actual costs for services provided to such organizations if the
Secretary determines that contributing to such costs will not undermine
the ability of any such organization or office to provide services
required by such office.
    ``(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize an
increase in the number of full-time employees otherwise authorized for
the Department.
    ``(f) Privacy.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to
authorize the Chief Veterans Experience Officer to disclose any record
in contravention of section 552a of title 5 (commonly referred to as
the `Privacy Act of 1974').
    ``(g) Sunset.--The requirements and authorities of this section
shall terminate on September 30, 2028.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
        beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at
        the end the following new item:

``325. Veterans Experience Office.''.
    (b) Comptroller General of the United States Review of Veterans
Experience Office and Customer Service Improvement Efforts.--Not later
than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall--
            (1) complete an analysis of the methodology, effectiveness,
        and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and
        beneficiaries used by the Department of Veterans Affairs,
        including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve veteran
        and beneficiary customer experience and satisfaction, including
        through the use of what are known as ``trust-scores'', Veteran
        Signals also known as ``VSignals'', and related survey and data
        collection activities, processes, and initiatives; and
            (2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
        Representatives a report setting forth the findings of the
        Comptroller General with respect to the analysis completed
        pursuant to paragraph (1).
                                 <all>