Survivor Benefits Delivery Improvement Act of 2025

The "Survivor Benefits Delivery Improvement Act of 2025" seeks to enhance the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) delivery of benefits and outreach services, particularly for survivors and dependents. It introduces the "Survivor Benefits Data Collection Act of 2025," which directs the VA Secretary to develop a method and collect demographic data from covered survivors receiving specific benefits, such as disability and indemnity compensation or burial benefits. This data collection, which includes race, ethnicity, and LGBTQIA+ status, aims to identify underserved demographics among beneficiaries. Based on the collected data, the Secretary must designate underserved demographics and develop targeted outreach and education strategies to raise awareness of benefits for these groups. This includes specific plans for increasing awareness of burial benefits among underserved veterans and beneficiaries. The bill also requires an assessment of the Office of Survivors Assistance to ensure it has adequate resources to fulfill its mission. Furthermore, the bill includes the "Survivor Solid Start Act of 2025," which expands the VA's outreach services. It broadens the definition of individuals eligible for outreach to include anyone who served in the uniformed services, not just veterans. Crucially, it mandates proactive, quarterly outreach to eligible dependents of deceased service members and veterans, providing essential information about benefits and claims assistance until a claim is filed. To support this expanded outreach, the bill requires the establishment of 5 to 10 full-time positions at VA call centers.