,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bcji  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #af1     
#bjbe,mr4 ,boozman 7for himself and ,ms4
 ,hassan7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to direct a physician or    
nurse practitioner employed by the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to     
certify the death of a veteran not later
 than #dh hours after such physician or 
nurse practitioner learns of such death1
 and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,veteran ,burial ,timeliness and ,death 
,certificate ,accountability ,act4  #b4 
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,states and counties have reported
 significant delays in the signing of   
death certificates for veterans who pass
 away from natural causes4  7#b7 ,such  
delays1 caused by the refusal of1 or    
postponement by1 physicians of the      
,department of ,veterans ,affairs have1 

in some cases1 lasted as long as eight  
weeks4  7#c7 ,such delays prevent the   
timely burial of deceased veterans and  
access to survivor benefits4  #c4       
,timely certification of the death of a 
veteran  7a7 ,in general  7#a7 ,,va     
physician or nurse practitioner ,subject
 to paragraph 7#b71 a physician or nurse
 practitioner employed by the ,secretary
 of ,veterans ,affairs who is the       
primary care provider of a veteran who  
dies of natural causes shall certify the
 death of such veteran not later than   
#dh hours after such physician or nurse 
practitioner learns of such death4  7#b7
 ,coroner or medical examiner ,if a     
physician or nurse practitioner         
described in paragraph 7#a7 cannot      
comply with such paragraph with respect 
to a death described in such paragraph1 
a coroner or medical examiner in the    
jurisdiction where such death occurred  
may certify such death4  7b7 ,report    
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one    
year after the date of the enactment of 

this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the 
,secretary shall submit to the          
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,senate and the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives a report regarding     
compliance with subsection 7a74  7#b7   
,elements ,each report required under   
paragraph 7#a7 shall include1 with      
respect to the year preceding the date  
of the report1 the following elements3  
7,a7 ,the percentage of cases in which a
 physician or nurse practitioner        
employed by the ,secretary complied with
 subsection 7a77#a74  7,b7 ,the number  
of cases in which such a physician or   
nurse practitioner could not so comply4 
7,c7 ,an identification of the most     
common reasons why such a physician or  
nurse practitioner could not so comply4 
7c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in   
this ,act shall require any employee of 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1  
including a physician or nurse          
practitioner1 to take an action not in  

compliance with the laws1 regulations1  
or requirements of the appropriate      
jurisdiction in which the employee is   
licensed or practicing1 or in which a   
death may need to be certified4