§325 — Title 38 Veterans' Benefits | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates a Veterans Experience Office inside the Department of Veterans Affairs. The office is led by a Chief Veterans Experience Officer. The Secretary picks the Chief from qualified people. The Chief reports straight to the Secretary and runs the office. The office must set strategy and guidance to improve how veterans and other beneficiaries find, use, and feel about VA benefits and services. It must coordinate with other VA offices to avoid duplicate work. Other VA offices must report regularly to the Chief on experience measures and improvement plans. The office must collect feedback and data from veterans to guide policy, give outreach strategies (including for people not using benefits), and review VA websites and other public information and customer service work. Each year the Chief gives the Secretary a summary of the data. Within 180 days after that, the Secretary must send Congress an annual report and analysis. The report must break down feedback and satisfaction by benefit or service and by relevant demographics. It must list reasons people may not use benefits (eligibility, not knowing a benefit exists, technology/information/time barriers, and other reasons) and include ideas to address those reasons. The Secretary must give the office staff, resources, and access to customer-service information, but that information cannot include a person’s private identifying details unless the person agrees. Other VA offices may pay back the office for services at cost if doing so does not hurt their work. The office cannot add to the Department’s authorized full‑time jobs. It must follow the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) when handling records. All authorities end on September 30, 2028.

Title 38, §325

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is established in the Department within the Office of the Secretary an office to be known as the “Veterans Experience Office” (in this section referred to as the “Office”).

(b)(1)The head of the Office shall be the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.

(2)The Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall—

(A)be appointed by the Secretary from among individuals the Secretary considers qualified to perform the duties of the position;

(B)report directly to the Secretary; and

(C)be responsible for carrying out the functions of the Office set forth under subsection (c).

(c)The functions of the Office are as follows:

(1)Carrying out the key customer experience initiatives of the Department relating to veterans’ and other beneficiaries’ satisfaction with and usage of benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary for which they are eligible, including setting the strategy, framework, policy, and other guidance for the Department relating to customer experience, including ensuring the activities of the Office and those of other organizations and offices within the Department are coordinated and not duplicative.

(2)Requiring the heads of other organizations and offices within the Department to report regularly on customer experience metrics, action plans, and other customer experience improvement efforts to the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.

(3)Collecting veteran-derived data—

(A)to determine veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of the benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary for which they are eligible; and

(B)to be considered during policymaking.

(4)Providing strategic guidance and strategies to Department entities for engaging with veterans and beneficiaries regarding benefits and services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, including those not using such benefits and services.

(5)Assessing and advising the Secretary on the accuracy and helpfulness of the websites and other customer-facing information of the Department, be it available electronically or in any other format.

(6)Assessing and advising the Secretary on the status and opportunities for improvement of the customer service efforts of the Department.

(d)(1)Each year, the Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall submit to the Secretary a summary of the data received by the Chief Veterans Experience Officer under subsection (c)(2).

(2)Each year, not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the summary under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual summary and analysis of the matters summarized pursuant to such paragraph.

(3)Each annual summary submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) shall include the following:

(A)Data regarding customer service and experience feedback, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback.

(B)Data regarding veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of benefits or services, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback, including—

(i)potential reasons for not using the benefits or services, such as—

(I)eligibility;

(II)lack of knowledge or awareness of existence of benefit or service;

(III)barriers of technology, information, or time; and

(IV)other related reasons; and

(ii)an analysis of how such reasons may be addressed.

(e)(1)The Secretary shall ensure that—

(A)the Office has such staff, resources, and access to customer service and experience information as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Office; and

(B)any information provided to the Office does not include personally identifiable information of an individual veteran, survivor, dependent, or other beneficiary unless such individual provides appropriate consent to allow such information to be shared with the Office.

(2)Funds available for basic pay and other administrative expenses of other Department organizations and offices may be available to reimburse the Office for all services provided at rates which will recover actual costs for services provided to such organizations if the Secretary determines that contributing to such costs will not undermine the ability of any such organization or office to provide services required by such office.

(3)Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize an increase in the number of full-time employees otherwise authorized for the Department.

(f)Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the Chief Veterans Experience Officer to disclose any record in contravention of section 552a of title 5 (commonly referred to as the “Privacy Act of 1974”).

(g)The requirements and authorities of this section shall terminate on September 30, 2028.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

For

Short Title

of section 2 of Pub. L. 119–33, which enacted this section, as the “Improving Veterans’ Experience Act of 2025”, see section 2(a) of Pub. L. 119–33, set out as a

Short Title

of 2025 Amendment note under section 101 of this title.

§325 Veterans Experience Office 11 So in Original. Probably Should Be “veterans Experience Office”.

Summary

Title 38, §325

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Short Title

Short Title

Citations & Metadata