PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4] · D–AZ
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Apr 8, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report annually to Congress on how it approves and oversees people and organizations that help veterans pursue benefit claims. It would create an official identifying mark for approved individuals and penalize fraudulent use. It would also require recurring requests for updated contact information and updates to the public accreditation database, which lists approved claims helpers.
The Secretary shall include in the annual report required to be submitted to Congress under section 529 of this title information on agents, attorneys, organizations and their representatives, and any other individuals recognized under this chapter.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish and maintain a certification mark, which may be used to identify individuals who are recognized under this chapter for the purposes of assisting in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary.
A person who displays or otherwise uses the certification mark established under subsection (a) for the fraudulent purpose of inducing the belief that the person is recognized under this chapter for the purposes of assisting in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary shall be fined in accordance with title 18, imprisoned, or both.
Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary submits the first report under section 529 of title 38, United States Code, that includes the information required to be submitted under section 5907 of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 2, and annually thereafter
(1) provide to each individual recognized under chapter 59 of title 38, United States Code, a notice that includes a request to update the contact information of the individual provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs; (2) make publicly available instructions such individuals may use to update such contact information; and (3) ensure the VA Accreditation Search Database is updated to include updated contact information.
Section 1 would name the legislation the Standardizing Accreditation information for Veteran Ease Act, or SAVE Act.
This Act may be cited as the Standardizing Accreditation information for Veteran Ease Act or the SAVE Act.
Section 2 would add an annual reporting requirement covering recognized agents, attorneys, organizations, their representatives, and other recognized individuals. The information would concern the year covered by VA's existing report to Congress.
The Secretary shall include in the annual report required to be submitted to Congress under section 529 of this title information on agents, attorneys, organizations and their representatives, and any other individuals recognized under this chapter. Such information shall include, for the year covered by the report, the following:
VA would report on required initial and continuing training, training reviews or audits, and the information it collects from applicants and recognized individuals. It would also explain how it gathers and verifies personal and qualification information, how often it receives updates, and how often recognized individuals and organizations must meet ongoing reporting requirements.
(1) A description of the type and frequency of training that is required to be recognized, or to continue to be recognized, under this chapter and of any review or audit conducted of such training. (2) A description of the type of information the Secretary collects from individuals who request to be recognized, or to continue to be recognized, under this chapter.
(3) A description of the method the Secretary uses to gather personal and qualifying information from individuals and organizations recognized or seeking recognition under this chapter. (4) An identification of the frequency with which the Secretary receives updated personal and qualifying information from individuals and organizations recognized under this chapter. (5) A description of the method the Secretary uses to verify personal and qualifying information received from individuals and organizations recognized or seeking recognition under this chapter. (6) An identification of the frequency with which individuals and organizations recognized under this chapter are required to comply with ongoing reporting requirements.
VA would report how many employees administer the recognition system and identify any additional resources needed to keep published information accurate and ensure recognized individuals meet character and competence standards. This would require reporting resource needs, rather than providing a specified funding amount.
(7) An identification of the number of Department employees responsible for the administration of this chapter.
(10) An identification of any additional resources the Department may need to ensure that— (A) any published information regarding individuals and organizations recognized under this chapter is accurate and up-to date; and (B) individuals who are recognized under this chapter are of good moral character and in good repute, are qualified to render claimants valuable service, and are otherwise competent to assist claimants in presenting claims under laws administered by the Secretary.
The annual report would describe how often the accreditation database or its successor is updated and checked for accuracy. This would include contact information, removal of helpers who are no longer recognized, and steps taken to keep the database updated.
(8) An identification of the frequency with which the VA Accreditation Search database, or any successor to such database, is— (A) updated; and (B) checked for accuracy, including with respect to the accuracy of contact information and the removal of individuals and organizations no longer recognized to assist veterans in the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Secretary. (9) A description of the steps the Secretary has taken to ensure such database is updated.
VA would report application-processing costs and timelines, how often individuals are denied recognition and why, and how often individuals lose recognition and why.
(11) An identification of the costs of processing applications for recognition under this chapter. (12) A description of the timeline for processing applications for recognition under this chapter. (13) An identification of how frequently individuals seeking recognition under this chapter are denied such recognition and for what reasons. (14) An identification of how frequently recognition is rescinded from individuals recognized under this chapter and for what reasons.
VA would have to establish and maintain a certification mark—an official identifying symbol—and register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The mark could identify individuals recognized to help with benefit claims; the provision does not require those individuals to display it.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish and maintain a certification mark, which may be used to identify individuals who are recognized under this chapter for the purposes of assisting in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary. Such certification mark shall be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Using the mark with the fraudulent purpose of making others believe the user is recognized to assist with VA benefit claims would be punishable by a fine under title 18, imprisonment, or both. Although the subsection is headed “Civil penalty for violation,” its operative text includes imprisonment.
(b) Civil penalty for violation (1) A person who displays or otherwise uses the certification mark established under subsection (a) for the fraudulent purpose of inducing the belief that the person is recognized under this chapter for the purposes of assisting in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary shall be fined in accordance with title 18, imprisoned, or both.
The penalty subsection would preserve uses of covered emblems, signs, insignia, or words that were lawful on the provision's enactment date, rather than making those uses unlawful under this subsection.
(2) This subsection shall not make unlawful the use of any such emblem, sign, insignia or words which was lawful on the date of enactment of this section.
Money collected as civil penalties under the subsection would remain available to VA to enforce the fraudulent-use prohibition, without expiring at the end of a fiscal year.
(3) Amounts collected as civil penalties pursuant to this subsection shall remain available for the Department of Veterans Affairs, without fiscal year limitation, for the purpose of enforcing paragraph (1).
Section 3 would require VA, no later than 180 days after submitting the first annual report containing the new information, and annually afterward, to request updated contact information from every recognized individual, publish instructions for updating it, and ensure the database includes updated information. Despite the heading “Biannual database accuracy,” the operative schedule says annually.
3. Biannual database accuracy Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary submits the first report under section 529 of title 38, United States Code, that includes the information required to be submitted under section 5907 of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 2, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— (1) provide to each individual recognized under chapter 59 of title 38, United States Code, a notice that includes a request to update the contact information of the individual provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs; (2) make publicly available instructions such individuals may use to update such contact information; and (3) ensure the VA Accreditation Search Database is updated to include updated contact information.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated April 8, 2025, records introduction and referral to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on February 27, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs on March 27, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-04-08T08:05:27Z. 2025-03-27: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. 2025-02-27: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 2025-02-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark disclosures and accompanying materials are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
One limited grandfathering exception warrants identification. This classification does not imply improper favoritism.
People whose use of a covered emblem, sign, insignia, or words was lawful on the enactment date would receive protection against that use becoming unlawful under the new penalty subsection. This is a limited exception within the bill's certification-mark enforcement policy; the text names no specific beneficiary.
A person who displays or otherwise uses the certification mark established under subsection (a) for the fraudulent purpose of inducing the belief that the person is recognized under this chapter for the purposes of assisting in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary shall be fined in accordance with title 18, imprisoned, or both.
(2) This subsection shall not make unlawful the use of any such emblem, sign, insignia or words which was lawful on the date of enactment of this section.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Apr 8, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI