Support Ensuring Timely Death Certificate Signatures by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Clinicians

ACTION NEEDED

Urge Congress to support the Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act, which would require a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who serves as a veteran’s primary care provider to certify the veteran’s death within 48 hours after learning of the death when the veteran dies of natural causes. This bill would help counties, families and funeral providers avoid unnecessary delays that can postpone burial and access to survivor benefits.

BACKGROUND

According to the bill’s findings, states and counties have reported significant delays in the signing of death certificates for veterans who pass away from natural causes. In some cases, delays by clinicians at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have reportedly lasted as long as eight weeks, creating hardship at an already difficult time for grieving families. When a death certificate is not signed promptly, families may face delays in burial arrangements, funeral services and access to survivor benefits. Counties and local officials can also be affected when administrative bottlenecks slow the completion of time-sensitive end-of-life processes that depend on timely certification.

The legislation would require a VA-employed physician or nurse practitioner who is the primary care provider of a veteran who dies of natural causes to certify the death no later than 48 hours after learning of it. If that clinician cannot comply, the bill would allow a coroner or medical examiner in the jurisdiction where the death occurred to certify the death instead.

The bill would also require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report to Congress on compliance, including how often VA clinicians met the 48-hour requirement, how often they could not comply and the most common reasons for noncompliance. Congress should advance this legislation to promote timely service for veterans’ families and greater accountability in VA death certification practices.

KEY TALKING POINTS

• Counties support prompt death certificate certification so veterans’ families can proceed without unnecessary delays in burial arrangements and access to survivor benefits.
• The Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act would establish a clear 48-hour expectation for VA primary care physicians and nurse practitioners when veterans die of natural causes.
• The bill pairs timely certification requirements with flexibility for coroners and medical examiners and annual reporting to Congress, helping improve both responsiveness and accountability.