HR9006-119

What This Bill Does

The Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs, acting through the Under Secretary for Benefits, to create a centralized information system for unclaimed veterans' remains. The system would hold information sent to VA by coroners, State governments, and funeral homes about unidentified human remains suspected to be those of a veteran. For unclaimed remains already in VA custody, the system would include the veteran's name, fingerprints, estimated age at death, and other identifiers when available or considered necessary. VA would use the information to make reasonable efforts to confirm veteran status and identify suitable next of kin to the extent practicable.

While building the system, VA would have to request relevant identifying information from the Social Security Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Defense under data-sharing memoranda already in effect. The VA Secretary could enter new memoranda or modify existing ones when necessary to identify whether remains in VA custody are those of a veteran. When requesting FBI information, VA must consider information maintained in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The section would expire on the last day of the third fiscal year beginning after enactment. VA must give the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees an initial report within one year and then report annually for three years. Each report must summarize implementation, describe outreach, and state how many veterans' remains the system successfully identified during the reporting period. The bill does not specify an appropriation, require a particular software vendor, or directly compel coroners, State governments, or funeral homes to transmit records.

Who Benefits and How

Families of missing or unidentified veterans could be located and notified when VA matches remains to a veteran. Deceased veterans whose remains are unclaimed could be identified and become eligible for appropriate recognition and disposition through existing processes. Coroners, funeral homes, and State officials could gain a central Federal destination for information when they suspect unidentified remains belong to a veteran. Congressional veterans' committees would receive annual data on implementation, outreach, and successful identifications.

Who Bears the Burden and How

VA Benefits staff must design, operate, secure, and conduct outreach for the centralized system, review identifying records, coordinate data-sharing agreements, search for next of kin, and prepare four required reports. SSA, FBI, Defense Department, and VA data staff could incur administrative costs when responding under existing or revised memoranda. Coroners, State agencies, and funeral homes that choose to participate would bear the cost of locating and transmitting useful records, but the bill itself does not require their participation. Federal taxpayers bear any implementation costs because the bill creates duties without specifying a dedicated funding amount.

Key Provisions

• Requires a centralized VA system for information on unclaimed veterans' remains.
• Stores available names, fingerprints, age estimates, and other identifying data.
• Directs VA to seek relevant SSA, FBI, and Defense Department information through memoranda.
• Requires consideration of the national missing-and-unidentified-persons database for FBI requests.
• Requires an initial report within one year and annual reports for three years.
• Expires the section after the third fiscal year beginning after enactment.