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Title 38 — Veterans’ Benefits

Part IV · Chapter 53 — Special Provisions Relating to Benefits

§ 5321. Benefits helpline

Statutory text

(a)

Establishment.—

The Secretary shall maintain a toll-free telephone helpline that a covered individual may call in order to—

(1)

obtain information about any service or benefit provided under the laws administered by the Secretary; or

(2)

be directed to an appropriate office of the Department regarding such a service or benefit.

(b)

Contract for Direction of Calls Authorized.—

The Secretary may enter into a contract with a third party to direct calls made to the helpline to an appropriate office under subsection (a)(2).

(c)

Live Individual Required.—

The Secretary shall ensure that a covered individual who calls the helpline has the option to speak with a live individual.

(d)

Definitions.—

In this section:

(1)

The term “covered individual” means—

(A)

a veteran;

(B)

an individual acting on behalf of a veteran; or

(C)

an individual other than a veteran who is eligible to receive a benefit or service under a law administered by the Secretary.

(2)

The term “veteran” has the meaning given such term in section 2002(b) of this title.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 118–159 div. E title L § 5002(a) · 138 Stat. 2408

    Enacted · 38 U.S.C. § 5321

    (Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. E, title L, § 5002(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2408.)

    Unresolved: Pub. L. 118–159 was not found in the local Statutes at Large index.

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    (Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. E, title L, § 5002(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2408.)

0 of 1 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 unresolved

Credits

(Added Pub. L. 118–159, div. E, title L, § 5002(a), , 138 Stat. 2408.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc38.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t38/s5321