The Every Veteran Counts Act of 2023 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to collect and publicly share detailed information about the veteran population. Right now, the VA hasn't done a comprehensive survey of veterans since 2010, so there's a significant gap in understanding who veterans are, what they need, and how they're doing. This bill fixes that by requiring the VA to gather demographic data from all available sources—including census data and Social Security records—and maintain it in a searchable database.

The VA will collect information about veterans' gender identity, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, education level, income, employment status, housing situation, and military service history. They'll also track whether veterans have experienced combat, military sexual trauma, or environmental hazards, and whether they're using VA benefits and services. All this information will be anonymized to protect privacy and made available on a public website that updates at least once a year.

Why does this matter? This data helps the VA, Congress, and veteran service organizations understand the changing veteran population and make better decisions about where to direct resources and services. For example, if the data shows that rural veterans struggle to access VA facilities, policymakers can address that problem. The bill also requires the VA to submit a detailed report within a year explaining how they're managing this data and what challenges they face, which gets published publicly so everyone can see the progress.

Every Veteran Counts Act of 2023

Brownley, Julia

Every Veteran Counts Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a database of specified demographics (e.g., age) of veterans. The data must be in a machine-readable format and anonymized to protect sensitive personal information. The VA must provide access to the database on a publicly accessible website that is updated at least once a year. Additionally, the VA must report on the progress, challenges, performance, and opportunities of implementing its data strategy. The report must be made available on the VA's open data website in a machine-readable format.