Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act

Congress finds the following:

(1) States and counties have reported significant delays in the signing of death certificates for veterans who pass away from natural causes.

(2) Such delays, caused by the refusal of, or postponement by, physicians of the Department of Veterans Affairs have, in some cases, lasted as long as eight weeks.

(3) Such delays prevent the timely burial of deceased veterans and access to survivor benefits.