[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1656 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1656

To provide for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans 
           compensation and pension, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 2001

Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Hatch) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans 
           compensation and pension, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Administration 
Improvement Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs is responsible for the timely and accurate 
        processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension.
            (2) The accuracy of claims processing within the Veterans 
        Benefits Administration has been a subject of concern to 
        veterans, Congress, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (3) While the Veterans Benefits Administration has reported 
        in the past a 95 percent accuracy rate in processing claims, a 
        new accuracy measurement system known as the Systematic 
        Technical Accuracy Review found that, in 1998 and again in 
        2000, initial reviews of veterans claims were accurate only 64 
        percent of the time.
            (4) The Veterans Benefits Administration could lose up to 
        30 percent of its workforce to retirement by 2003, making 
        adequate training for claims adjudicators even more necessary 
        to ensure veterans claims are processed efficiently.
            (5) The Veterans Benefits Administration needs to take more 
        aggressive steps to ensure that veterans claims are processed 
        in an accurate and timely fashion so as to avoid unnecessary 
        delays in providing veterans with compensation and pension 
        benefits.
            (6) In 2001 the expected appeals processing time for a 
        claim from notice of disagreement to final decision is 621 
        days.
            (7) As of September 2001, the Veterans Benefits 
        Administration backlog of pending work was 533,029 claims.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF PROCESSING OF VETERANS BENEFITS CLAIMS.

    (a) Plan Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives a comprehensive plan for the improvement 
of the processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension.
    (b) Elements.--The plan under subsection (a) shall include the 
following:
            (1) Mechanisms for the improvement of training of claims 
        adjudicators and for the enhancement of employee accountability 
        standards in order to ensure that initial reviews of claims are 
        accurate and that unnecessary appeals of benefit decisions and 
        delays in benefit payments are avoided.
            (2) Mechanisms for strengthening the ability of the 
        Veterans Benefits Administration to identify recurring errors 
        in claims adjudications by improving data collection and 
        management relating to--
                    (A) the human body and impairments common in 
                disability and pension claims; and
                    (B) recurring deficiencies in medical evidence and 
                examinations.
            (3) Mechanisms for implementing a system for reviewing 
        claims processing accuracy that meets the internal control 
        standard of the Federal Government on separation of duties and 
        the program performance audit standard of the Federal 
        Government on organizational independence.
            (4) Mechanisms for evaluating the impact of the Training 
        and Performance Support System on the accuracy and consistency 
        of claims processing.
            (5) Quantifiable goals for each of the mechanisms developed 
        under paragraphs (1) through (4).
    (c) Consultation.--In developing the plan under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall consult with and obtain the views of veterans 
organizations, county veteran service associations, and other 
interested parties.
    (d) Implementation.--The Secretary shall implement the plan under 
subsection (a) commencing 60 days after the date of the submittal of 
the plan under that subsection.
    (e) Modification.--(1) The Secretary may modify the plan submitted 
under subsection (a).
    (2) Any modification under paragraph (1) shall not take effect 
until 30 days after the date on which the Secretary submits to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives a notice regarding such modification.
    (f) Reports.--Not later than January 1, 2003, and every six months 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Majority 
Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a 
report assessing implementation of the plan under subsection (a) during 
the preceding 6 months, including an assessment of whether the goals 
set forth under subsection (b)(5) are being achieved.
    (g) Funding.--The Secretary shall carry out the plan under this 
section in any fiscal year using amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the Veterans Benefits Administration for that fiscal 
year.
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