[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1657 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1657

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to limit the authority of the 
   Secretary of Veterans Affairs to deny the claim of a veteran for 
  benefits under the laws administered by such Secretary on the sole 
  basis that such veteran failed to appear for a medical examination 
          associated with such claim, and for other purposes.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2025

  Mr. Banks (for himself and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to limit the authority of the 
   Secretary of Veterans Affairs to deny the claim of a veteran for 
  benefits under the laws administered by such Secretary on the sole 
  basis that such veteran failed to appear for a medical examination 
          associated with such claim, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Review Every Veteran's Claim Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DENIAL OF CLAIMS FOR BENEFITS UNDER LAWS 
              ADMINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON SOLE 
              BASIS THAT VETERAN FAILED TO APPEAR FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL 
              EXAMINATION.

    Subsection (d) of section 5103A of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``Compensation Claims'' and 
        inserting ``Claims for Benefits'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``treat an examination or 
        opinion as being necessary to make a decision on a claim for 
        purposes of'' and inserting ``provide for a medical examination 
        or obtain a medical opinion under''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3) If a veteran fails to appear for a medical examination 
provided by the Secretary in conjunction with a claim for a benefit 
under a law administered by the Secretary, the Secretary may not deny 
such claim on the sole basis that such veteran failed to appear for 
such medical examination.''.
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