This bill would create the Veteran Scam Victims Foundation, a private, charitable nonprofit corporation separate from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Foundation would accept private gifts, hold and use those gifts to support VA activities that prevent veterans and their beneficiaries from becoming victims of scams, educate veterans about scams, and support veterans who have been victimized. The Foundation may not provide compensation for veterans' monetary losses from scams.
If you are a veteran or beneficiary, the bill would establish a new nonprofit organization to fund education and support related to scam prevention and recovery. The Foundation would be overseen by a Board chaired by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and include private citizens appointed by several federal officials. Board members would not be paid for service but could be reimbursed for travel and subsistence. The Foundation could use VA facilities and services, accept gifts that are restricted or encumbered, and operate under bylaws it adopts.
No publicly available information on projected federal costs or savings. The bill says the Foundation is not a federal agency and the United States is not liable for the Foundation’s debts. The Foundation and its property would be exempt from federal, state, and local taxation. The Foundation may reimburse the VA for services; amounts reimbursed to the VA would be returned to the originating account and may be expended from that account without further appropriation.
No publicly available information on public statements by proponents. The bill text shows its stated purposes are to encourage and manage private gifts to benefit VA activities that prevent veteran scams, to educate veterans and beneficiaries about scams, and to support those who have become victims. The text explicitly states the Foundation’s purposes do not include paying victims’ monetary losses.
No publicly available information on opponents' statements or formal objections in the bill text.