S. 264 — Improving Veterans’ Experience Act of 2025

This section establishes the Veterans Experience Office in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) within the Office of the Secretary, to be headed by a Chief Veterans Experience Officer appointed by and reporting directly to the Secretary. The office's functions include (1) carrying out VA's key customer experience initiatives relating to veterans' and beneficiaries' satisfaction with and usage of VA-administered benefits and services; (2) requiring regular reports from other VA offices on customer experience metrics and improvement efforts; (3) collecting veteran-derived data on such satisfaction and usage for policymaking; (4) providing strategic guidance to VA entities for engaging veterans and beneficiaries; (5) assessing VA websites and customer-facing information; and (6) assessing VA customer service efforts. (Thus, the office coordinates VA-wide customer experience activities and ensures they are not duplicative.) The Chief Veterans Experience Officer must submit an annual summary of reported data to the Secretary, who must submit to Congress, not later than 180 days thereafter, an analysis including disaggregated data on customer service feedback, satisfaction, and usage—by benefit or service and relevant demographics—along with potential reasons for non-usage (e.g., eligibility, lack of awareness, barriers) and strategies to address them. The section authorizes necessary staff and resources for the office (with no increase in VA full-time employees authorized), protects personally identifiable information absent consent, and prohibits contravention of the Privacy Act of 1974. This section further directs the Comptroller General of the United States, not later than 540 days after enactment, to analyze VA's methodology, effectiveness, and implementation of veterans' and beneficiaries' feedback—including by the Veterans Experience Office—to improve customer experience and satisfaction. The Veterans Experience Office sunsets on September 30, 2028.