WASHINGTON, DC — On May 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Representative Rob Bresnahan’s, Jr. (PA-08) legislation, H.R. 1286, the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act. The bipartisan bill, which passed by a vote of 386-1, would simplify forms required by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans and survivors. Rep. Bresnahan introduced this bill on February 13, 2025, and it passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs on May 6, 2025. This is the first piece of legislation Rep. Bresnahan introduced and is his first legislation to pass the House.

“When our military members return home from serving our country, they are often tasked with filling out dozens of pages of paperwork in order to receive the benefits they’ve rightfully earned,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “Veterans and their families should not be subjected to a VA claims process that is more difficult and stressful than necessary, which is why I am incredibly proud to see my legislation, the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, pass out of the House this evening.

“Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District is home to nearly 40,000 veterans, and I am proud to spearhead this legislation for each and every one of them and their families.”

“As a veteran myself, I know how confusing VA’s forms can be for veterans and their families when it comes to filing their own disability claims,” said House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Chairman Mike Bost. “We must make VA’s standard forms more understandable for veterans, so they don’t have to deal with a paperwork nightmare to access their earned VA benefits. I want to thank Rep. Bresnahan for his leadership on his bill, the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act, on behalf of veterans and their families. This commonsense bill will make a difference in veterans’ day to day lives and would ensure that Congress continues to push VA forward to better serve veterans.”

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) within VA requires veterans and survivors to complete standard forms to initiate and pursue claims for VA benefits, including disability compensation, pension, and survivors’ benefits. These forms can often be arduous and difficult to understand for veterans or their survivors, and failure to do correctly fill them out can result in delays in processing their claim, delays in receiving a decision on their claim, or even a denial of their claim.

Rep. Bresnahan introduced the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act to simplify the forms process to make VA standard forms more user-friendly. The legislation would require VA to contract with a nonpartisan, federally funded research entity to conduct a study on, and provide recommendations for, revising VA forms to be more understandable for veterans and their survivors. Following this study, the VA Secretary would be required to report findings to Congress and implement recommendations.

You can find the bill text here.