Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025
Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025 - Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to study whether "distributed ledger technology" (a type of digital record-keeping system similar to blockchain) could improve how the VA processes veteran benefits claims and reduce fraud and waste. The VA would need to report back to Congress with findings on whether this technology is practical to use, what benefits it might offer, and what risks or challenges it could present. **Who it affects:** This primarily affects veterans who receive VA benefits and the VA employees who process their claims.
It could potentially improve the speed and accuracy of benefit processing if the technology proves viable, while also protecting against fraudulent claims. **Key provisions and current status:** The bill doesn't mandate that the VA actually implement this technology—it only requires a feasibility study and report to Congress. The legislation was introduced by Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) and is currently in committee, meaning it's still in the early stages of the legislative process and hasn't yet been voted on by the full House or Senate.
CRS Official Summary
Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress on the feasibility, potential benefits, and risks associated with implementing distributed ledger technology to improve claims adjudication and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the VA’s benefits administration systems. Under the bill, a distributed ledger (1) is shared across a set of distributed nodes that participate in a network and store a complete or partial replica of the ledger, (2) is synchronized between the nodes, and (3) has data appended to it by following a specified consensus mechanism.
Latest Action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 292.