Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., reintroduced a bill on Thursday that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use blockchain technology to improve how veterans receive their benefits and services.
The congresswoman said the Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act aims to modernize “outdated” VA systems through the use of distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain.
“We need to bring the federal government into the 21st century,” Rep. Mace said in a July 10 press release. “This legislation paves the way for research into cutting-edge solutions to replace the broken, outdated systems continuing to fail our veterans. We owe it to the men and women willing to lay down their lives for this country to use every tool available to improve theirs.”
Rep. Mace – who chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation – first introduced the bill last summer, but it did not advance far.
The bill directs the VA to conduct a comprehensive report on how blockchain technology could be integrated into the VA’s infrastructure to modernize systems.
Specifically, Rep. Mace said that the report should focus on “improving the reliability and accuracy of veterans’ benefits claims adjudication, improving accountability in claims handling, and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in VA benefits systems.”
The congresswoman’s office said that the VA currently relies on decades-old legacy systems, which are prone to security vulnerabilities and cyber threats.
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chair Mike Bost, R-Ill., applauded the reintroduction of the bill in a statement, saying, “VA must be an efficient and innovative organization in order to deliver high quality, advanced healthcare and services to veterans.”
The Digital Chamber, the largest blockchain and digital asset trade association since 2014, also endorsed the bill.
“Blockchain technology has the power to meaningfully transform how veterans access their earned benefits by providing greater transparency, security, and efficiency,” Cody Carbone, CEO of The Digital Chamber, said in a statement. “The Digital Chamber appreciates Congresswoman Mace’s commitment to pioneering forward-thinking solutions that prioritize veterans, and we are proud to support the Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act.”