H.R. 4398: Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act
Sponsor
Tom Emmer
Republican · MN-6
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jun 30, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Veterans' families shouldn't wait weeks for paperwork
Why it matters
The bill's findings say some VA death certificate delays have lasted as long as eight weeks. H.R. 4398 would replace that open-ended wait with a 48-hour deadline and a backup signer so burials and survivor benefit claims can keep moving.
H.R. 4398 is aimed at a narrow problem with high stakes: death certificates for veterans who die of natural causes. The bill's findings say states and counties have reported delays by VA physicians lasting as long as eight weeks, holding up burial and access to survivor benefits.
The bill sets a simple deadline. If a VA-employed physician or nurse practitioner was the veteran's primary care provider, that clinician must certify the death within 48 hours after learning of it.
If that does not happen, the bill creates a fallback. A local coroner or medical examiner where the death occurred could certify the death instead, so one missed VA signature does not freeze everything else.
H.R. 4398 also adds oversight. The VA would have to report to Congress one year after enactment and every year after that, including how often it met the 48-hour deadline, how many cases missed it, and the most common reasons why.
H.R. 4398 Bill Summary
What H.R. 4398 actually does.
Families get a 48-hour deadline
A VA-employed physician or nurse practitioner who was the veteran's primary care provider must certify a natural-cause death within 48 hours after learning of it.
Burials do not have to wait on one VA signer
If the VA clinician cannot meet the deadline, a coroner or medical examiner in the place where the veteran died may certify the death instead.
The bill targets delays Congress says reached eight weeks
The bill's findings say states and counties reported delays by VA physicians that, in some cases, lasted as long as eight weeks and delayed burial and survivor benefits.
Congress would get yearly compliance data
Starting one year after enactment, the VA would have to send annual reports to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees.
Reports must show where the system is failing
Each report must include the share of cases that met the 48-hour deadline, the number that did not, and the most common reasons for missing it.
Who benefits from H.R. 4398?
Families planning a veteran's burial
If the bill works as written, you would no longer be left waiting through an open-ended VA delay before funeral and burial arrangements can move forward.
Survivors filing for benefits
A faster death certificate could help spouses and other survivors start claims sooner instead of waiting through delays the bill says have stretched to eight weeks.
Veterans who die outside a VA facility
The backup signer option gives local coroners and medical examiners a defined role when the VA cannot act in time.
Who is affected by H.R. 4398?
VA primary care physicians
If they were the veteran's primary care provider, they would face a 48-hour deadline once they learn of the death.
VA nurse practitioners
They would carry the same responsibility as physicians when they served as the veteran's primary care provider.
Local coroners and medical examiners
They may need to certify more deaths when the VA misses the deadline, giving local offices a formal backup role.
VA administrators
The department would need to track compliance, count missed cases, explain recurring problems, and report that data to Congress every year.
HR4398 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jun 30, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Dec 3, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
House: Committee Action
Jul 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
About the Sponsor
Tom Emmer
Republican, Minnesota's 6th congressional district · 11 years in Congress
Committees: Financial Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (135)
This bill has 135 cosponsors: 40 Democrats, 95 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 41 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, and 38 more.
Guy Reschenthaler
Republican · PA
Andrew Garbarino
Republican · NY
Scott DesJarlais
Republican · TN
Robert Latta
Republican · OH
Nicole Malliotakis
Republican · NY
Keith Self
Republican · TX
Claudia Tenney
Republican · NY
Nick LaLota
Republican · NY
Steve Womack
Republican · AR
Maria Salazar
Republican · FL
Pete Stauber
Republican · MN
Mark Alford
Republican · MO
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Veterans' Affairs Committee
8 of 24 committee members cosponsored
6 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 4398 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Veterans' Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Introduced
- Jul 15, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Jun 30, 2026
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, actions, cosponsors, and committee status for H.R. 4398.
VA’s official burial benefits page helps explain why delays in death certificates can affect burial arrangements for veterans and families.
Official VA page on survivor benefits relevant to the bill’s finding that delayed death certificates can slow benefit claims.
Official CDC handbook relevant to the bill’s backup role for coroners and medical examiners when VA clinicians do not certify within 48 hours.
Official VA directory that connects families to VA facilities and services involved in veteran care and death-related follow-up.
Official committee site relevant because the bill was referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and requires annual reporting to veterans committees.
H.R. 4398 Common Questions
What would H.R. 4398 change for VA death certificates?
It would require a VA primary care doctor or nurse practitioner to certify a veteran's natural-cause death within 48 hours after learning of it.
Why does this bill focus on death certificate delays?
The bill's findings say states and counties reported delays lasting as long as 8 weeks, which Congress says can delay burial and survivor benefits.
Can a coroner sign if the VA misses the deadline?
Yes. H.R. 4398 says a local coroner or medical examiner may certify the death if the VA clinician cannot do it within 48 hours.
Does H.R. 4398 apply to every veteran death?
No. The bill text applies this rule to veterans who die of natural causes.
Would nurse practitioners be allowed to sign too?
Yes. H.R. 4398 covers VA-employed nurse practitioners, not just physicians, if they were the veteran's primary care provider.
Does the bill create a penalty for missing 48 hours?
Not directly. Instead, H.R. 4398 uses a backup signer process and requires the VA to report missed cases and the reasons for them.
Would the VA have to report its compliance to Congress?
Yes. One year after enactment and every year after that, the VA would have to report how often it met the 48-hour deadline and why it missed cases.
Based on H.R. 4398 bill text
H.R. 4398 Bill Text
“To direct a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to certify the death of a veteran not later than 48 hours after such physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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