Title 38 › PART IV — GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 57 — RECORDS AND INVESTIGATIONS › SUBCHAPTER II — INVESTIGATIONS › § 5711
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and any staff given that power can force people to help with cases the Department handles. They can make witnesses attend hearings (if they live within 100 miles), demand papers and other evidence, take sworn written statements and oaths, help people prepare and present claims, and investigate and question witnesses. Anyone ordered by a subpoena to appear as a witness must receive the same fees and travel mileage that witnesses get in U.S. district courts.
Full Legal Text
Veterans' Benefits, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
38 U.S.C. § 5711
Title 38, Veterans' Benefits
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102