WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Rep. Pete Aguilar’s Wounded Warrior Access Act (H.R. 5916) passed the U.S. House of Representatives on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. The bipartisan legislation will streamline the process for veterans to receive a copy of their claim file for benefits to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Additionally, this bill protects veterans from the risks posed by working with unaccredited and unqualified claim consultants.

“Our veterans must have access to the best possible benefits and health care when they return home from service,” said Rep. Aguilar. “To ensure they can access the benefits they deserve, veterans need a simple way of retrieving their information during the claims process and should not have to struggle or jump through hoops to receive that information. My bill provides a commonsense, simple fix to this outdated system to make life easier for veterans in the Inland Empire and across the country. I thank all my colleagues for supporting my bill and look forward to seeing it pass in the Senate.”

“The Wounded Warrior Access Act will significantly improve the process and create more transparency for veterans who wish to obtain their own VA claims files. Wounded Warrior Project thanks Congressman Pete Aguilar for leading this effort to make personal VA files more accessible and we commend the House of Representatives for passing this legislation. We urge the Senate to pass the Wounded Warrior Access Act as soon as possible,” said Jose Ramos, Wounded Warrior Project Vice President for Government and Community Relations.

Rep. Aguilar spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives prior to passage of the bill.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on House Administration and the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol.

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