To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, and temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Biggs of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve how it manages caregiver benefits for veterans. The VA must formally identify caregivers in veterans' health records, send standardized notification letters when making decisions about caregiver program eligibility, and extend benefits for 90 days after a veteran loses eligibility (except in cases of fraud, abuse, or voluntary withdrawal).
Who Benefits and How
Family caregivers of veterans benefit by receiving continued financial support (stipends) for an additional 90 days even after the veteran is deemed no longer clinically eligible for the program. Veterans and their caregivers also benefit from improved transparency and procedural fairness through standardized notification letters that explain eligibility determinations. Veterans advocacy organizations gain a stronger framework for protecting caregiver rights.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Veterans Affairs faces increased administrative work to formally track caregivers in health records and produce standardized notification letters for all eligibility decisions. The federal budget (and ultimately taxpayers) will bear additional costs from the mandatory 90-day benefit extensions, as caregivers who would have immediately lost benefits will continue receiving stipends during the transition period.
Key Provisions
- Requires VA to formally recognize all caregivers by adding them to veterans' health records, including both family caregivers in the comprehensive assistance program and those in the support services program
- Mandates standardized notification letters for any clinical determinations about caregiver program claims, tier reductions, or terminations, with the same informational elements required for other VA benefit decisions
- Extends caregiver benefits (including stipends) for at least 90 days after a veteran loses clinical eligibility, giving families time to adjust
- Includes exceptions to the 90-day extension for cases involving fraud, abuse, neglect, or when a new caregiver is designated within 90 days
- References the existing caregiver programs under 38 USC 1720G, which provide comprehensive assistance and support services to caregivers of eligible veterans
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires VA to formally recognize caregivers, improve notification procedures, and extend benefits for 90 days when veterans lose caregiver program eligibility
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Improve transparency and procedural fairness in VA caregiver programs while preventing abrupt termination of benefits"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Veterans receiving caregiver assistance
- Family caregivers of veterans
- Veterans advocacy organizations
Likely Burden Bearers
- Department of Veterans Affairs (administrative burden for recognition and notification)
- VA budget (90-day benefit extension costs)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Includes (A) family caregivers participating in the program of comprehensive assistance under 38 USC 1720G(a); and (B) caregivers participating in the program of support services under 38 USC 1720G(b)
The program under 38 USC 1720G(a) that provides comprehensive assistance including stipends to family caregivers of veterans
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology