[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5225 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5225

   To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs to jointly develop and implement an electronic personnel file 
   system, and to jointly conduct a study on improving the access of 
 veterans to files related to military service and veterans benefits, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 5, 2010

 Ms. Tsongas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs to jointly develop and implement an electronic personnel file 
   system, and to jointly conduct a study on improving the access of 
 veterans to files related to military service and veterans benefits, 
                        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 ``Improving Veterans' Electronic 
Transition Services Act'' or the ``iVETS Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING VETERANS ACCESS TO RECORDS.

    (a) Access to Personnel Files.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly develop and implement a 
system allowing a veteran to securely and electronically access the 
official military personnel file of the veteran.
    (b) Centralized Web Portal.--
            (1) Study.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs shall jointly conduct a study on establishing 
        a veterans portal based on the knowledge online portals.
            (2) Matters included.--The study under paragraph (1) shall 
        include an assessment of the following:
                    (A) Using the knowledge online portals as a model 
                for establishing a veterans portal that includes a 
                single sign-on system for email, personal profiles, 
                organizational pages, directory services, file sharing, 
                and message boards.
                    (B) The ability of a veteran to use the veterans 
                portal to access the official military personnel file 
                of the veteran, including form 214 of the Department of 
                Defense.
                    (C) The ability of a veteran to use the veterans 
                portal to--
                            (i) file for compensation, educational 
                        assistance, and other veterans benefits;
                            (ii) request medical care; and
                            (iii) track the status of filings and 
                        requests described by clause (i) and (ii).
                    (D) The ability of a member of the Armed Forces who 
                is retiring, being separated, or discharged from the 
                Armed Forces to transfer the knowledge online portal 
                account of the member to the veterans portal.
                    (E) Other matters that the Secretaries consider 
                appropriate in establishing a veterans portal.
            (3) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees a report on the study 
        under paragraph (1).
            (4) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) The term ``appropriate congressional 
                committees'' means the following:
                            (i) The Committee on Armed Services and the 
                        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
                        Representatives.
                            (ii) The Committee on Armed Services and 
                        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                        Senate.
                    (B) The term ``compensation'' has the meaning given 
                that term in section 101(13) of title 38, United States 
                Code.
                    (C) The term ``knowledge online portal'' means the 
                Army Knowledge Online portal, the Defense Knowledge 
                Online portal, or other similar Internet Web site 
                established by the Secretary of Defense.
                    (D) The term ``veterans portal'' means an Internet 
                Web site that provides a veteran with a centralized, 
                secure, and reliable method for accessing service 
                records, health care records, and personalized 
                information regarding compensation, educational 
                assistance, and other related benefits provided under 
                title 38, United States Code.
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