H.R. 1286 · 119th Congress · Armed forces and national security
Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act
How the House voted
Yea from the left, nay from the right, each side by party
House · May 19, 2025
Roll call ↗386
1
Passed the House.
Passed the House on May 19, 2025.
Latest action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- IntroducedFeb 13, 2025
- CommitteeMay 17, 2025
- Passed HouseMay 19, 2025
- Passed Senate
- Became law
On the record
- Cosponsors
- 18
- 4 Democrats, 14 Republicans
- Committees
- Senate Committee on Veterans' AffairsHouse Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Lobbying
- At least 5
- organizations named it2025 Q1 to 2026 Q3
What it does
This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to review the forms the department sends to people claiming veterans benefits.
How each member voted
The House roll call, passed the House, May 19, 2025
Yea unless marked
D · House · NC-12
R · House · AL-4
R · House · MO-4
R · House · GA-12
This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to review the forms the department sends to people claiming veterans benefits. The center would produce a written assessment, developed in consultation with veterans groups and other experts, recommending how to make those forms clearer and better organized. Within 90 days of receiving the assessment, the Secretary would have to send it to the congressional Veterans' Affairs Committees and put into effect any recommendations that comply with existing law. The Secretary would have to finish implementing those recommendations within two years of starting. The bill also extends a date in existing pension law by one month, moving a limit on certain pension payments from November 30, 2031 to December 31, 2031.
Each stop is a step the bill’s own record states, with the date it happened. A ring is a step not yet taken. A bill becomes law when the President signs it or Congress overrides a veto.
At least 5 organizations named this measure in a lobbying filing. A floor, not a total: they were counted by the client name on 19 quarterly reports filed by 5 organizations lobbying for themselves in 2025 Q1, 2025 Q2, 2025 Q3, 2025 Q4, 2026 Q1, 2026 Q2 and 2026 Q3. An organization that lobbied this measure without naming it is not counted here.
The filings record that lobbying was reported on the measure. The form has no per-bill dollar figure and no field for a position, so nothing here says how much was spent or which side an organization took.
The organizations named: Disabled American Veterans; Paralyzed Veterans of America; AARP; Sierra Club; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Listed as filed. They are every client name on the filings counted here.
From the LD-2 quarterly lobbying filings published at lda.gov by the Senate Office of Public Records. Read for 2025 Q1, 2025 Q2, 2025 Q3, 2025 Q4, 2026 Q1, 2026 Q2 and 2026 Q3. Our copy holds 24 fewer filings for 2025 Q1, 39 fewer filings for 2025 Q2, 42 fewer filings for 2025 Q3, 33 fewer filings for 2025 Q4, 28 fewer filings for 2026 Q1, 48 fewer filings for 2026 Q2 and 218 fewer filings for 2026 Q3 than the Senate's register counts, so those quarters are the filings we could read rather than every one filed. 2026 Q4 is still inside its filing window, so that quarter is only the filings posted so far.
Congress.gov bill status and cosponsor records; the House Clerk and Senate roll calls; lobbying reports filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (lda.gov); the plain summary and provisions are read from the bill text, each with its section.