H.R. 1286 · 119th Congress

Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act

Introduced on Feb 13, 2025 by Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr. (R-PA-8). 18 cosponsors, 4 of them from another party. Latest action (May 20, 2025): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Feb 13, 2025
Cosponsors
18
4 from the other party
Policy area
Armed Forces and National Security
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center for an assessment of forms that the Secretary sends to claimants for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Congressional oversight
  • Government information and archives
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Research and development
  • Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Feb 13, 2025). Public domain.

Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to seek to enter an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to assess the forms that the VA sends to claimants. The center must submit a written assessment to the VA that includes recommendations on how the VA may make the forms clearer and more organized.

The VA must implement certain recommendations in the assessment within two years after the assessment is received.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr.R-PA-8Sponsor

Democrats · 4

Republicans · 14

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
    May 19, 2025· House· Passage· Passed 386–1

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Feb 13, 2025Introduced in House
  2. Feb 13, 2025Introduced in House
  3. Feb 13, 2025 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  4. Mar 14, 2025 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  5. Mar 26, 2025 · HouseSubcommittee Hearings Held
  6. Apr 9, 2025 · HouseSubcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  7. Apr 9, 2025 · HouseForwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
  8. May 6, 2025 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  9. May 17, 2025Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 119-100.
  10. May 17, 2025 · HouseReported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 119-100.
  11. May 17, 2025 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 73.
  12. May 19, 2025 · HouseMr. Bost moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  13. May 19, 2025 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2124-2126)
  14. May 19, 2025 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1286.
  15. May 19, 2025 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  16. May 19, 2025 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2136-2137)
  17. May 19, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 386 - 1 (Roll no. 133). (text: CR H2125)House · Roll call 133
  18. May 19, 2025 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 386 - 1 (Roll no. 133). (text: CR H2125)House · Roll call 133
  19. May 19, 2025 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  20. May 20, 2025 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS6 reports
    $910.6K reported (all issues)
  2. PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA6 reports
    $572.6K reported (all issues)
  3. AARP1 report
    $5.1M reported (all issues)
  4. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE WORKERS1 report
    $715K reported (all issues)
  5. Sierra Club1 report
    $100K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2025, 2026.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.