Summary

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA) to publish and keep updated a public spreadsheet on its website showing the most recent interment schedule availability for every operational NCA cemetery, submit a proposed definition of “interment schedule availability” to Congress, and provide a report with five years of historical data. It also requires the NCA to continue participating in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey (or notify Congress at least 30 days before stopping) and to continue running and publishing its own customer service survey for veterans, families, and funeral homes, with at least 30 days’ prior notice to Congress before changing that survey’s methodology, participants, or scope.

Key Points

• Requires a public, regularly updated spreadsheet showing interment schedule availability for every operational NCA cemetery.
• Directs the VA to submit a proposed definition of “interment schedule availability” to Congress and to provide five years of historical availability data.
• Mandates continued NCA participation in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, with 30 days’ Congressional notice required before stopping participation.
• Requires the NCA to maintain and publish its own customer service survey for veterans, families, and funeral homes and to notify Congress at least 30 days before changing it.
• Focuses on transparency and consumer-facing information to help veterans, families, and funeral service providers plan burials and memorials.
• Imposes new reporting and notice duties on the NCA but does not create new entitlement programs or explicit appropriations.
• Applies to all operational National Cemetery Administration cemeteries and to NCA survey operations and participation.
• Anticipated to improve planning, scheduling, and accountability with relatively low administrative complexity.

Categories & Tags