,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cfec  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #ae1  
#bjbf,mrs4 ,blackburn 7for herself1 ,mr4
 ,sheehy1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 and ,mr4        
,tuberville7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out      
efforts to inform veterans of their     
rights with regards to the receipt of   
health care1 benefits1 and services     
furnished under provisions of law       
administered by the ,secretary1 and for 
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,veterans'     
,bill of ,rights ,act of #bjbf4  #b4    
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states has a solemn 
obligation1 articulated by ,president   
,abraham ,lincoln in #ahfe1 to care for 
him who shall have borne the battle1 and
 for his widow1 and his orphan4  7#b7   
,veterans transitioning to civilian life

 from service in the ,armed ,forces     
deserve timely access to health care1   
benefits1 and information1 as well as   
respect1 dignity1 and transparency in   
all interactions with the ,department of
 ,veterans ,affairs4  7#c7 ,the         
responsibilities of the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs require that         
veterans' rights be clearly codified to 
ensure accountability and consistent    
nationwide administration of benefits   
and services4  #c4 ,veterans' ,bill of  
,rights  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out  
efforts to inform veterans of their     
rights with regards to the receipt of   
health care1 benefits1 and services     
furnished under provisions of law       
administered by the ,secretary4  7b7    
,elements ,in carrying out subsection   
7a71 the ,secretary shall ensure that   
veterans are aware of their rights with 
respect to the following3 7#a7 ,access  
to ,,va or ,,va-authorized providers    
,veterans have the right to receive     

health care from the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs or1 when eligible    
under ,federal law1 from community      
providers authorized by the ,department4
  7#b7 ,respect and dignity ,the right  
to be treated with courtesy1 respect1   
and dignity in all interactions with    
personnel of the ,department4  7#c7     
,informed consent ,the right to receive 
clear1 complete information about       
treatment options and to provide        
informed consent for care furnished     
under laws administered by the          
,secretary4  7#d7 ,awareness of benefits
 ,the right to receive comprehensive1   
understandable information about        
benefits1 programs1 and services for    
which the veteran may be eligible or    
entitled under laws administered by the 
,secretary4  7#e7 ,access to benefits   
,the right to apply for benefits        
furnished under provisions of law       
administered by the ,secretary at any   
time and to receive clear explanations  
from the ,department regarding          

eligibility determinations concerning   
such benefits4  7#f7 ,health care       
without retaliation ,the right to seek  
care or raise concerns without fear of  
stigma1 retaliation1 or adverse action  
from the ,department4  7#g7 ,privacy    
,the right to the protection of personal
 information and medical records        
consistent with provisions of ,federal  
law relating to privacy1 protection of  
personal information1 and medical       
records4  7#h7 ,right to grievance      
redress ,the right to file complaints   
concerning services furnished by the    
,department and to receive timely1      
thorough investigation and resolution of
 those complaints4  7#i7 ,transparent   
communication ,the right to clear       
written notification from the           
,department regarding the status of     
claims1 benefits1 and appeals filed with
 the ,department4  7#aj7 ,appeal and    
fair hearing ,the right to appeal       
adverse decisions of the ,secretary and 
to receive fair hearings from the       

,department within a reasonable time4   
7c7 ,responsibilities ,the ,secretary   
shall-- 7#a7 integrate the rights       
described in subsection 7b7 into all    
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
policies1 directives1 patient-facing    
materials1 and employee training        
programs2  7#b7 ensure every employee of
 the ,department receives annual        
training on such rights2  7#c7          
prominently display such rights at all  
,department facilities and the website  
of the ,department2  7#d7 in            
coordination with the ,secretary of     
,defense and the ,secretary of ,labor1  
include a dedicated instruction module  
on the rights described in subsection   
7b7 as part of the curriculum for the   
,transition ,assistance ,program 7,,tap7
 under section #aadd of title #aj1      
,united ,states ,code2  7#e7 not later  
than #ahj days after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 ensure that the 
rights described in subsection 7b7 are  
accessible through a prominent1         

dedicated feature within the official   
mobile application of the ,department of
 ,veterans ,affairs and the e,benefits  
portal 7or any successor personal       
benefits portal72  7#f7 require each    
,department medical facility to         
designate a patient advocate or         
ombudsman to conduct an annual internal 
audit to assess facility compliance with
 the rights described in subsection 7b71
 including a review of veteran          
satisfaction surveys and the timeliness 
of grievance resolutions2 and  7#g7     
ensure that any written or electronic   
acknowledgment of a claim for benefits  
or an application for health care       
services includes a summary statement of
 the rights described in subsection 7b71
 emphasizing the veteran's right to     
transparent communication and grievance 
redress4  7d7 ,rule of construction ,the
 provisions of this section shall not be
 construed-- 7#a7 to create a cause of  
action for damages or judicially        
enforceable rights beyond those already 

established under ,federal law2 or  7#b7
 to alter statutory eligibility         
requirements for care or benefits       
furnished under laws administered by the
 ,secretary4