[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2296 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2296

 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to employ at least three 
 decision review officers at each regional office of the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2014

 Mrs. Shaheen introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to employ at least three 
 decision review officers at each regional office of the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, 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 Appeals Improvement Act of 
2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Section 7101(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
        requires that the Board of Veterans' Appeals have such number 
        of members and staff as may be found necessary in order to 
        conduct hearings and dispose of appeals properly before the 
        Board in a timely manner.
            (2) The supporting information submitted along with the 
        budget under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for 
        fiscal year 2015 for the Department of Veterans Affairs states 
        that appeals received by the Board of Veterans' Appeals are 
        expected to increase by 52 percent from the 47,763 appeals 
        received in 2011 to 72,786 by the end of 2015.
            (3) The annual report of the Board of Veterans' Appeals for 
        Fiscal Year 2012 indicates that with 64 members, the Board was 
        able to issue 44,300 decisions in that fiscal year.
            (4) The Board also noted in such report that there is a 
        direct and proportional correlation between the number of 
        members and staff of the Board and the number of decisions they 
        can issue.

SEC. 3. MINIMUM NUMBER OF DECISION REVIEW OFFICERS AT REGIONAL OFFICES 
              OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that not fewer than three decision review officers are employed by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs at each regional office of the 
Department.
    (b) Notice.--
            (1) In general.--In any case in which the number of 
        decision review officers employed by the Department at a 
        regional office of the Department declines to fewer than three 
        after the date that is one year after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives notice of such decline.
            (2) Contents.--Notice submitted under paragraph (1) with 
        respect to a regional office of the Department shall include 
        the following:
                    (A) The number of decision review officers employed 
                by the Department at such regional office.
                    (B) A plan to increase the number of decision 
                review officers at such regional office to at least 
                three, including an estimate of when at least three 
                decision review officers will be employed at such 
                regional office.
                    (C) A description of the measures that the 
                Secretary plans to take to ensure that appeals properly 
                before the Board of Veterans' Appeals that would 
                normally be disposed of by decision review officers at 
                such regional office are disposed of in a timely manner 
                during the period in which fewer than three decision 
                review officers are employed at such regional office.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the 
ability of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to conduct hearings and 
dispose of appeals properly before the Board in a timely manner.
    (b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) Whether the number of members of the Board is 
        sufficient to conduct hearings and dispose of appeals properly 
        before the Board in a timely manner.
            (2) An assessment of the feasibility and advisability of 
        increasing the number of decision review officers by 10, 15, 
        and 25 percent from the number of review officers employed by 
        the Department on the day before the date of the enactment of 
        this Act.
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