The Bureau, with all due diligence, shall expeditiously attempt to obtain the information and documentation necessary to adjudicate a benefit claim filed under this subchapter, including a claim for financial assistance under part B.

If a benefit claim filed under this subchapter, including a claim for financial assistance under part B, is unable to be adjudicated by the Bureau because of a lack of information or documentation from a third party, such as a public agency, and such information is not readily available to the claimant, the Bureau may not abandon the benefit claim unless the Bureau has utilized the investigative tools available to the Bureau to obtain the necessary information or documentation, including subpoenas.

(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, § 1206, as added Pub. L. 115–36, § 4, June 2, 2017, 131 Stat. 852.)