H.R. 1039 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Apr 7, 2025. Received Apr 8, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryImproves VA benefit claim notices for veterans
The VA sends out lots of notices to people applying for benefits—but are they actually easy to understand? This bill asks the VA to hire a research center to look at those notices and figure out if veterans can actually read and understand them. Then the VA has to report what they found and put those improvements into practice. The bill also keeps certain loan fee rates the same for veterans getting VA home loans through 2034.
How it affects you
If you're a veteran applying for VA benefits, this could make the paperwork clearer and easier to follow. If you're a veteran using the VA's home loan program, your loan fees will stay at their current rates through June 2034.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 6, 2025)
Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to assess notices that the VA sends to claimants applying for or submitting claims for VA benefits. The VA must report on the findings of the assessment and implement recommendations in the assessment.
The bill also extends certain loan fee rates through June 23, 2034, under the VA's home loan program.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1039
AN ACT
Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI-7) · Introduced Feb 6, 2025 · Armed Forces and National Security · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Apr 8, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsHouse · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended · Apr 7, 2025
Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended Passed 412–0
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 207 | 0 | 6 |
| Republicans | 205 | 0 | 15 |
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.