The House is considering a proposal that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine how distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain, can enhance the agency’s claims systems.
The measure now waits for a vote by the full chamber.
The bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a comprehensive study on whether distributed ledgers can enhance the transparency, traceability, and resistance to fraud, waste, and abuse of benefits adjudication.
Lawmakers frame the effort as a response to persistent complaints about slow, opaque processing and data errors that can delay or misdirect payments owed to veterans.
Under the text, the VA must explore how a distributed ledger could securely log each step in a claim, verify information to weed out false filings, and flag irregularities in benefit delivery.
The department would need to consult technologists, veterans’ service organizations, and other federal agencies that are already experimenting with distributed ledgers.
Within a year of enactment, the Secretary would report back to Congress with findings on the feasibility, benefits, and risks, along with recommendations for pilot programs and any statutory or administrative changes necessary to deploy the technology.
The bill also spells out what it means by a distributed ledger. By codifying the definition, lawmakers aim to avoid confusion over whether the VA could satisfy the mandate with a conventional database dressed up in new terminology.
If the House approves the measure, it would move to the Senate for consideration.
