Sponsors (9)
The bill clarifies and expands eligibility so more surviving spouses get VA burial/benefit coverage and fewer claims are denied, at the cost of added VA workload and potential increases in program expenses borne by taxpayers.
Surviving spouses and spouses of veterans will be explicitly covered for VA burial and related benefits because the bill defines 'eligible person' to include surviving spouses and spouses described in 38 U.S.C. § 4101(5).
Veterans and their families may face fewer administrative denials and broader qualifying circumstances for benefits because the bill removes the phrase 'non-veteran-related' from §4103A, clarifying eligibility criteria.
Veterans and other claimants could see slower claim processing because expanded or clarified eligibility may increase VA workload and administrative burden.
Taxpayers could face higher program costs or require VA resource reallocation if the change effectively broadens entitlement language and increases benefit payments or administrative expenses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Clarifies and expands the statutory definition of who is an "eligible person" for VA career services to explicitly include certain spouses and surviving spouses of service members.
Makes targeted changes to the law that governs VA career counseling and related services by clarifying punctuation/wording and expanding who counts as an "eligible person." It revises two subsections to adjust wording (including removing the phrase "non-veteran-related") and adds a new definition so surviving spouses — including spouses described in existing statute and spouses of service members who died while serving — are explicitly eligible for career services under the statute.
Official title: Amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain spouses eligible for services under the disabled veterans' outreach program, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 31, 2025 by Margaret Wood Hassan · Last progress December 19, 2025