Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act

This Act may be cited as the Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act.
Congress finds the following:
States and counties have reported significant delays in the signing of death certificates for veterans who pass away from natural causes.
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.
Such delays prevent the timely burial of deceased veterans and access to survivor benefits.
Subject to paragraph (2), a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs who is the primary care provider of a veteran who dies of natural causes shall certify the death of such veteran not later than 48 hours after such physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death.
If a physician or nurse practitioner described in paragraph (1) cannot comply with such subsection with regards to a death described in such paragraph, a coroner or medical examiner in the jurisdiction where such death occurred may certify such death.
One year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report regarding compliance with subsection (a). Such a report shall include, with regards to the year preceding the date of the report, the following elements:
The percentage of cases in which a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary complied with paragraph (1) of such subsection.
The number of cases in which such a physician or nurse practitioner could not so comply.
The most common reasons why such a physician or nurse practitioner could not so comply.