H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”
Legend
Transcript markers
- text Sentence being played
- text Search result
- text Intervention cited by the link you opened
Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.
More options
House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsMorgan Luttrell
And Mr. Case, again, apologies, thank you for coming and sitting in with us today. In accordance with the committee rules, I ask unanimous consent that the following members be permitted to participate in today's subcommittee hearing: Representative Case from Hawaii and Representative Nunn from Iowa.
Without objection, so ordered. It is our practice, and we will forgo a round of questioning for each member. Any questions may be submitted for the record. And Mr. Representative Bergman, you are recognized for three minutes, sir, to speak on H.R. 9006.
Speaker 9
Go ahead and comment on how amazing we are. I don't want my time to start, but you know.
Speaker 11
All right. Okay. Well, you know, I'm honored to make opening comments or remarks on Representative Valadao's bill, H.R. 9006, for Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act. This does not create any funding lines. It directs, simply directs the VA to establish a centralized portal for the storage of information with respect to the unclaimed remains of veterans.
Currently, there's no single centralized program that does this.
What the bill is seeking to address, this is what the bill is seeking to address. It's just an unintended gap. Decentralized handling across three VA administrations. The National Cemetery Administration handles the actual burial benefits side. The Veterans Benefits Administration, each VA regional office has an indigent veterans and unclaimed remains outreach coordinator who handles outreach and benefit determinations at the local level.
And finally, the Veterans Health Administration.
If a veteran dies while under the care of the Veterans Health Administration, the closest VA healthcare facility arranges proper burial. This bill just kind of closes a loop. There's nothing controversial, no added funds, just let's get it right by creating that IT system, if you will, that connects all the dots. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Morgan Luttrell
Thank you, Mr. Bergman. Representative Case, sir, you're now recognized for three minutes.
Ed Case
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member.
I really deeply appreciate your allowing me to waive onto the committee to discuss my bill, H.R. 6921, which I've introduced with my colleague, Representative Tokuda, and we have a counterpart bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono. This bill, simply put, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, commences a process towards a new national cemetery in Hawaii. Obviously, we all know that veterans who qualify for burial benefits have a choice about their final resting place, including a burial in a national cemetery, and most veterans do want to be buried in a national cemetery, and they do want to be buried in a national cemetery near where they live.
In Hawaii, we have one of the most beautiful and unique national cemeteries in our country, the National Cemetery of the Pacific, which we refer to as Punchbowl, a very unique and spectacular national cemetery created in 1949. There are currently 53,000 veterans and families for whom that is their final resting place, including my grandfather and my uncle, for starters. And we have 109,000 veterans in our Hawaii, a disproportionate number, which is going to continue into the future. Although this is a beautiful national cemetery, although it is truly unique, I hope you would visit it one day if you haven't already, it is out of room.
It has been essentially closed to casketed burials since 1991, and it will stop accepting cremated remains by 2036. The nature of the cemetery in a volcanic crater requires it to be confined and therefore there's no opportunity to expand. It's in the middle of a city. It's very unique, but it doesn't have any more room. And so to maintain equitable access for our veterans in Hawaii, we need to start the process of a new national cemetery to allow them their final resting place where they were buried.
And this bill simply does that. Now, I would like to very quickly address the opposition of the Veterans Administration to this bill, which I hope to wear them down on.
First of all, I want to make one basic comment here. Hawai'i is not the continental United States. Hawai'i is 2,500 miles away from the continental United States. And so if a veteran wants to be buried in a national cemetery, which is their right, then they are either going to be buried in Punchbowl, which is not available to them today, or they have to go 2,500 miles away to the newest or to the nearest national cemetery on the continental United States. Now the Veterans Administration says, well, there's a state veterans cemetery available.
We do not have tribal cemeteries in Hawai'i, so that option is not available. And basically what the VA says is, well, you can go get buried in the state veterans cemetery, which is a nice veteran cemetery. I don't want to downplay it at all.
However, the choice should be a national cemetery within approximate distance to one's home. And the fact of the matter is that on the continental United States, that is a feasible option because there are many national cemeteries. In Hawaii again, if you want to be buried in a national cemetery, you don't have that option unless you go to the continental United States. And so the fundamental bottom line here is that Hawaii is not the same as the rest of the United States from this perspective. Veterans deserve to be buried in a national cemetery, not be forced into a state veterans cemetery because of the specific conditions of Hawaii.
And this process does not prejudge where that national cemetery is in Hawaii, how big it is, or anything else.
It simply starts a long process, about a 10-year process, towards a new national cemetery. Really appreciate your support. Really appreciate your questions, your involvement. Happy to work with the subcommittee whenever and however you want on this particular bill. Thank you, and I yield back.
Thank you, sir. Mr. Nunn, you're recognized for three minutes.
Zachary Nunn
Well, thank you very much, Chairman Luttrell, and for Ranking Member McGarvey for one, having us on here.
I want to highlight that this is an important committee hearing for all of us, particularly when it comes to taking care of those veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This afternoon, I'd like to talk about H.R. 9321, the Unclaimed Veterans' Legacy Grant Program Act, that I am working with my fellow combat aviator Don Davis on, a fellow Air Force veteran. Since last December, my home state of Iowa has answered the call to serve. And tragically, on December 13th, Iowa National Guardsmen Sergeant William Nate Howard and Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar lost their lives in service in Syria. On March 1st, an Iranian strike in Kuwait claimed the lives of six more brave Iowans who were serving with Des Moines' own 103rd Sustainment Command.
And most recently, this month on June 15th, Major Brad Hoover, who was born in Algona, Iowa, lost his life in the crash of a B-52 bomber. As a nation, we know the heartbreaking loss of a brother or sister in arms on the battlefield. That's why it's equally tragic when a fallen hero is denied a proper dignified burial right here at home after stepping up to serve our country. You'll note I speak specifically in honor of Joseph Chedester. He was a Union Civil War veteran who died nearly 100 years ago.
And in my home state of Iowa, we served at a higher proportion than any other state in the Union when going and sending young men who left the plow behind or young women who left one-room schoolhouses to help bring our country back together.
But in this case, Joseph put his life on the line in one of the most consequential wars in American history. And yet after his death in 1929, no family member came forward to bury or claim his remains, leaving him forgotten for over a century. A few years ago, I had the honor of joining families across Iowa to lay Joseph to rest in his long-overdue memorial service. You can see that exact photo behind me and the leaders who made that happen. This is possible through the work of Final Salute, a non-profit in Iowa that dedicates their time to ensuring that no unclaimed remain goes without a final resting place.
The team at Final Salute doesn't just show up for the burial, they do the really heavy lifting. They started by digging through thousands of records, coordinating with funeral homes, and most importantly, learning about each veteran's story, all of which allowed them a final reunion. And Joseph finally met his great-granddaughter, a third-generation American living right here in Washington, D.C. Since 2018, the Final Salute has stepped up to secure dignified burials like this for more than 100 veterans and their spouses right in my home state of Iowa alone. And I'm so proud to join leaders like Lynae Sover from Iowa who's helped lead this with the National Funeral Directors Association.
But this need stretches far beyond just Iowa.
In 2023 alone, the Veterans Administration reported that more than 20,000 veterans nationwide went unclaimed. Americans who served their country with no one left to lay them to rest. My bill, H.R. 9321, the Unclaimed Veterans' Legacy Grant Program Act, would help nonprofits like Final Salute carry out this costly, labor-intensive, and most importantly, deeply personal work. It does this by allowing the VA Secretary to field a new type of grant under the Veterans' Legacy Grant Program so that nonprofits like Final Salute have the resources necessary to locate, identify unclaimed veterans' remains, and make sure they do this at no cost to the taxpayer. When our service members take the oath, they promise to leave no man behind on the battlefield.
You, sir, led in taking this oath with your service, as did I. I believe today we have an opportunity to make sure that our service members are rightfully honored and that our promise to them shouldn't just expire because they've been laid on the shelf for too long. I urge my colleagues on both sides, and I thank my bill sponsors on both sides for their leadership on this. I yield back the remainder of my time and ask for their support.
Morgan Luttrell
Thank you, Mr. Nunn. I'd like to thank everybody for their testimony and advocacy on behalf of our veterans. Everyone is excused, although members are welcome to remain and participate in the later portions of today's hearing.
Speaker 15
I would like to now invite our second panel of witnesses to the table, please. Ms. Witter, you're, there you go. Mr. Lyle, how are you?
Morgan Luttrell
I'm doing well today. Everyone ready? All right. Thank you. I would like to introduce our witnesses, Mr. Cole Lyle, National Director of Legislative Affairs of the—of the American Legion, and Ms. Leslie Witter, Senior Vice President of Advocacy for our National Funeral Directors Association.
Morgan Luttrell
Good to see you both again. I ask that both of you please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
I do.
Morgan Luttrell
Thank you. Let the record reflect that all witnesses answered in the affirmative. Mr. Lyle, you're now recognized for five minutes to present your testimony.
Cole Lyle
Well, thank you, Chairman Luttrell, Ranking Member McGarvey, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. On behalf of National Commander Dan K. Wiley and more than 1.5 million dues-paying members of the American Legion, thank you for the opportunity to appear today. For over 107 years, the American Legion has been guided by voices of veterans from all posts to shape a resolution-based approach that reflects the lived experience of those who have served. The legislation before us today reflects core commitments: protecting the integrity of earned disability compensation against inflation, ensuring efficient claims process for those in need, and honoring every veteran with dignity in life and death. The American Legion supports the majority of these measures because they directly or indirectly advance the priorities set by our membership.
We strongly support H.R. 8552, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026. Many of our disabled veterans, survivors, and dependents live on fixed incomes. Allowing their compensation to keep pace with inflation and rising costs is simply the right thing to do. We take no position on H.R. 8767, the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act, as its provisions fall outside the scope of established resolutions. That said, we urge the committee to ensure that no veteran who has earned these benefits is left uncompensated.
We fully support H.R. 9006, the Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act.
Identifying, returning home, and providing dignified burial for unclaimed veterans remains a top priority for the American Legion. We welcome efforts to improve efficiency through better information sharing across VA and other agencies. We support the concept of a centralized tracking portal, but we ask you to work with VA to improve the bill's implementation if passed, particularly clarifying necessary interagency agreements, IT feasibility, timeliness, and funding. The American Legion supports with amendments H.R. 6588, the Priority Response for Veterans Impacted by Disasters and Emergencies Act.
At the post level, we have seen firsthand how disasters devastate veterans, especially when they must relocate or lose critical documents. Giving priority processing to affected claims is meaningful improvement. However, the eligibility language should be broad enough to avoid unintentionally excluding other groups of veterans. We also urge consideration of how VA or third-party contractors can conduct disability examinations in or near disaster zones. Finally, we remain concerned that expediting a claim could compound harm if the outcome reduces a veteran's rating.
We support H.R. 6921, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act.
The final wishes of a veteran must be the highest priority. An additional national cemetery in Hawai'i will help ensure that Hawaiian veterans can be laid to rest with dignity and in accordance with their desires. We also support the discussion draft establishing the Unclaimed Veterans' Legacy Grant Program. For years, American Legion posts and volunteers have helped perform this sacred work largely through donations and personal resolve. The Veterans' Legacy Program was designed to support such community efforts, and Congress should ensure these organizations receive the funding and resources they need to continue this mission efficiently.
Our full written testimony has been submitted for the record.
The American Legion stands ready to work with the committee, VA, and our fellow stakeholders to refine these proposals so they deliver the strongest possible outcomes for veterans and families who rely on VA every day. I want to thank both of you for your leadership and for this opportunity to testify. I look forward to your questions.
Speaker 17
Thank you, Mr. Lall. Your testimony has been entered into the record. Ms. Wetter, you're now recognized for five minutes.
Leslie Witter
Good afternoon, Chairman Luttrell, Ranking Member McGarvey, and members of the subcommittee.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of several bills that strengthen and honor how we care for our veterans and their families. I am Leslie Witter, Senior Vice President of Advocacy at the National Funeral Directors Association, representing nearly 20,000 funeral directors and embalmers who see firsthand how public policy affects veterans and their families. Because we work with families, directly with families, we see where systems work and where more coordination is needed.
Today I will focus on NFDA's support for three bills: the Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, and the Unclaimed Veterans Legacy Grant Program. Together, these bills advance a common principle: no veteran should be forgotten, no family should be denied earned access to benefits, and every veteran deserves a dignified resting place. Mr. Chairman, NFDA strongly supports HR 9006, the Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act.
When a veteran's remains go unclaimed or unidentified, funeral directors are often amongst the first to engage. The challenge is not effort. The challenge is the lack of a coordinated system to connect information across agencies to help locate next of kin. This bill creates a centralized VA system to receive and evaluate information on unclaimed remains from coroners, state agencies, and funeral homes. That coordination reflects how these cases occur in practice and speeds up the ability to identify veterans and notify their families.
And for families, time matters. It determines whether they can participate in final arrangements and honor their loved one's service. So NFDA strongly supports this legislation and urges its passage. NFDA also supports HR 6291, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act.
For families, burial access is not an abstract policy issue. It directly shapes decisions during grief. In Hawaii, limited cemetery access and travel burdens can make it difficult for families to actually use their earned benefit. Our 2024 survey found that more than 80% of funeral professionals report families have to pay additional transportation costs.
Ask anything about this video — I analyse its transcript to answer.