WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar’s Wounded Warrior Access Act (H.R. 1226) unanimously passed the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill will streamline the process for veterans to receive a copy of their claim file (“C-File”) for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), while also protecting veterans from the risks posed by working with unaccredited and unqualified claim consultants.

“Veterans put their lives on the line for our country, and we need to make sure they have access to the best possible benefits when they return from service,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “To ensure they can access those benefits, veterans need a simple way to access their information during the claims process and should not have to jump through hoops to get that information. My bill is a commonsense solution that cuts through the red tape to make life easier for veterans in the Inland Empire and across the country. I thank Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Takano and the members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for their leadership in bringing this bill to the floor.”

“The Wounded Warrior Access Act will create greater transparency by allowing veterans to view the documents that VA uses when deciding their claims. Wounded Warrior Project commends the House of Representatives for passing this legislation and thanks Congressman Pete Aguilar for leading this effort. 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

“As the Commanders for the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12 in San Bernardino, we serve a large portion of the veteran community,” said Jose Mendoza, Commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12 San Bernardino, California. “Our chapter alone has 1,500 members. We assist veterans with filing for their benefits and claims and one of the first problems we often run into is requesting a Veterans C-file or submitting VA Form 3288. The response could take months and we’d like to see this process more streamlined. The Wounded Warrior Access Act does exactly that. I’m happy to stand with Congressman Pete Aguilar in pursuing this commonsense reform that will make life easier for veterans.”

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.

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