Bill > S1451

This bill, the Veterans' Survivors Claims Processing Automation Act of 2015, allows the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to automatically pay certain benefits to a veteran's survivor without the survivor needing to file a formal claim, provided the VA has enough information in its records to confirm the survivor's eligibility. These benefits include burial and funeral expenses, accrued benefits (payments due to the veteran at the time of death), dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), and non-service connected disability or death pension amounts. The bill also clarifies that when a survivor informs the VA of a veteran's death, that notification will be considered the official application date for these benefits, potentially speeding up the process. This change applies to deaths occurring on or after the bill's enactment date.