S. 2309 — Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act

This section states congressional findings that (1) states and counties have reported significant delays in signing death certificates for veterans who die from natural causes; (2) such delays, caused by refusals or postponements by Department of Veterans Affairs physicians, have lasted up to eight weeks in some cases; and (3) such delays prevent timely burials of deceased veterans and access to survivor benefits.

This section requires a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) serving as the primary care provider of a veteran who dies of natural causes to certify the death within 48 hours of learning of it, or if unable to comply, allows a coroner or medical examiner in the relevant jurisdiction to certify it. The section further directs the VA Secretary to submit to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs, beginning one year after enactment and annually thereafter, a report on compliance that includes (1) the percentage of compliant cases, (2) the number of non-compliant cases, and (3) the most common reasons for non-compliance. The section specifies that nothing requires VA employees to violate applicable jurisdictional laws, regulations, or requirements.