,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #bib #aaith  
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #cdee
 ,report ,no4 #aai-cdj ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,may    
#ae1 #bjbe,ms4 ,mace introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,october #aj1 #bjbe;,committed to the   
,committee of the ,whole ,house on the  
,state of the ,union and ordered to be  
printed  ,a ,,bill  ,to direct the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to     
conduct a comprehensive study on the use
 of distributed ledger technology in the
 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and 
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans
 ,affairs ,distributed ,ledger          
,innovation ,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,sense  
of ,congress ,it is the sense of        
,congress that-- 7#a7 veterans deserve  
efficient1 transparent1 and secure      
access to benefits and services earned  
through their honorable service2  7#b7  
distributed ledger technology offers    

promising solutions for enhancing data  
integrity1 security1 and transparency2  
and  7#c7 exploring innovative          
technologies such as distributed ledger 
technology could significantly improve  
the allocation of benefits1 management  
of insurance programs1 and maintenance  
of records within the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs4  #c4 ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs study on use of      
distributed ledger technology  7a7 ,in  
general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans    
,affairs shall conduct a comprehensive  
study on the feasibility1 potential     
benefits1 and risks associated with     
implementing distributed ledger         
technology to improve claims            
adjudication and prevent fraud1 waste1  
and abuse within the ,department's      
benefits administration systems4  7b7   
,matters for examination ,in conducting 
the study under subsection 7a71 the     
,secretary shall examine how distributed
 ledger technology could-- 7#a7 improve 
the clarity1 traceability1 and          

reliability of veterans' benefits claims
 by securely recording key steps in the 
adjudication process2  7#b7 reduce the  
risk of fraudulent and inaccurate claims
 by verification processes2  7#c7       
improve accountability in claims        
handling2 and  7#d7 aid in identifying  
irregularities in benefits delivery4    
7c7 ,consultation ,in conducting the    
study under subsection 7a71 the         
,secretary shall consult with-- 7#a7    
experts in distributed ledger           
technology2  7#b7 representatives of    
veterans service organizations2  7#c7   
the heads of other ,federal agencies    
with experience using distributed ledger
 technology2 and  7#d7 any other        
stakeholders the ,secretary determines  
appropriate4  7d7 ,report ,not later    
than one year after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall submit to the ,committees on      
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and  
,house of ,representatives a report on  
the findings of the study under         

subsection 7a74 ,such report shall      
include each of the following3 7#a7 ,the
 findings of the study regarding the    
feasibility of implementing distributed 
ledger technology in the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs4  7#b7 ,a description
 of potential benefits and risks        
associated with the implementation of   
such technology in the ,department4     
7#c7 ,any recommendations of the        
,secretary regarding pilot programs or  
other initiatives that should be        
implemented to test the use of          
distributed ledger technology in        
specific areas of ,department           
operations1 such as benefits            
distribution or insurance claims4  7#d7 
,any legislative or administrative      
actions required to implement such      
technology in the ,department4  7e7     
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term distributed ledger means a ledger 
that is-- 7,a7 is shared across a set of
 distributed nodes1 which are devices or
 processes1 that participate in a       

network and store a complete or partial 
replica of the ledger2  7,b7 is         
synchronized between the nodes2  7,c7   
has data appended to it by following a  
specified consensus mechanism2  7,d7    
publicly accessible or restricted to a  
subset of participants2 and  7,e7 may   
require participants to have            
authorization to perform certain actions
 or require no authorization4  7#b7 ,the
 term distributed ledger technology     
means technology that enables the       
operation and use of distributed        
ledgers4  ,october #aj1 #bjbe;,committed
 to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house 
on the ,state of the ,union and ordered 
to be printed