[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1607 Reported in House (RH)]

                                                 Union Calendar No. 156
114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1607

                          [Report No. 114-207]

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the disability 
compensation evaluation procedure of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
 for veterans with mental health conditions related to military sexual 
                    trauma, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2015

  Ms. Pingree (for herself, Mr. Poliquin, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Rush, Mr. 
Grijalva, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Dold, and 
 Mr. Guinta) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

                             July 16, 2015

    Additional sponsors: Mr. Honda, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Brownley of 
California, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Jones, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Takano, 
 Ms. Slaughter, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Ms. DelBene, 
Mr. Sires, Mr. Huffman, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Polis, Ms. Esty, 
         Mr. Kilmer, Ms. Lofgren, and Mr. Larsen of Washington

                             July 16, 2015

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 
                               25, 2015]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the disability 
compensation evaluation procedure of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
 for veterans with mental health conditions related to military sexual 
                    trauma, 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 ``Ruth Moore Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. REPORTS ON CLAIMS FOR DISABILITIES INCURRED OR AGGRAVATED BY 
              MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA.

    (a) Annual Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter VI of chapter 11 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated 
              by military sexual trauma
    ``(a) Reports.--Not later than December 1, 2015, and each year 
thereafter through 2019, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report on covered claims submitted during the previous fiscal year.
    ``(b) Elements.--Each report under subsection (a) shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) The number of covered claims submitted to or 
        considered by the Secretary during the fiscal year covered by 
        the report.
            ``(2) Of the covered claims listed under paragraph (1), the 
        number and percentage of such claims--
                    ``(A) submitted by each sex;
                    ``(B) that were approved, including the number and 
                percentage of such approved claims submitted by each 
                sex; and
                    ``(C) that were denied, including the number and 
                percentage of such denied claims submitted by each sex.
            ``(3) Of the covered claims listed under paragraph (1) that 
        were approved, the number and percentage, listed by each sex, 
        of claims assigned to each rating percentage.
            ``(4) Of the covered claims listed under paragraph (1) that 
        were denied--
                    ``(A) the three most common reasons given by the 
                Secretary under section 5104(b)(1) of this title for 
                such denials; and
                    ``(B) the number of denials that were based on the 
                failure of a veteran to report for a medical 
                examination.
            ``(5) The number of covered claims that, as of the end of 
        the fiscal year covered by the report, are pending and, 
        separately, the number of such claims on appeal.
            ``(6) For the fiscal year covered by the report, the 
        average number of days that covered claims take to complete 
        beginning on the date on which the claim is submitted.
            ``(7) A description of the training that the Secretary 
        provides to employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration 
        specifically with respect to covered claims, including the 
        frequency, length, and content of such training.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `covered claims' means claims for disability 
        compensation submitted to the Secretary based on a covered 
        mental health condition alleged to have been incurred or 
        aggravated by military sexual trauma.
            ``(2) The term `covered mental health condition' means 
        post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or other 
        mental health diagnosis described in the current version of the 
        Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published 
        by the American Psychiatric Association that the Secretary 
        determines to be related to military sexual trauma.
            ``(3) The term `military sexual trauma' means, with respect 
        to a veteran, psychological trauma, which in the judgment of a 
        mental health professional, resulted from a physical assault of 
        a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual 
        harassment which occurred during active military, naval, or air 
        service.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new item:

``1164. Reports on claims for disabilities incurred or aggravated by 
                            military sexual trauma.''.
            (3) Initial report.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall submit to Congress an initial report described in section 
        1164 of title 38, United States Code, as added by paragraph 
        (1), by not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act. Such initial report shall be in addition to the 
        annual reports required under such section beginning in 
        December 2015.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs should update and improve the regulations 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to military sexual 
trauma by--
            (1) ensuring that military sexual trauma is specified as an 
        in-service stressor in determining the service-connection of 
        post-traumatic stress disorder by including military sexual 
        trauma as a stressor described in section 3.304(f)(3) of title 
        38, Code of Federal Regulations; and
            (2) recognizing the full range of physical and mental 
        disabilities (including depression, anxiety, and other 
        disabilities as indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical 
        Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American 
        Psychiatric Association) that can result from military sexual 
        trauma.
    (c) Provision of Information.--During the period beginning on the 
date that is 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act and 
ending on the date on which the Secretary updates and improves 
regulations as described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall--
            (1) provide to each veteran who has submitted a covered 
        claim or been treated for military sexual trauma at a medical 
        facility of the Department with a copy of the report under 
        subsection (a)(3) or section 1164 of title 38, United States 
        Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), that has most recently 
        been submitted to Congress;
            (2) provide on a monthly basis to each veteran who has 
        submitted any claim for disability compensation or been treated 
        at a medical facility of the Department information that 
        includes--
                    (A) the date that the Secretary plans to complete 
                such updates and improvements to such regulations;
                    (B) the number of covered claims that have been 
                granted or denied during the month covered by such 
                information;
                    (C) a comparison to such rate of grants and denials 
                with the rate for other claims regarding post-traumatic 
                stress disorder;
                    (D) the three most common reasons for such denials;
                    (E) the average time for completion of covered 
                claims;
                    (F) the average time for processing covered claims 
                at each regional office; and
                    (G) any information the Secretary determines 
                relevant with respect to submitting a covered claim;
            (3) in addition to providing to veterans the information 
        described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall make available 
        on a monthly basis such information on a conspicuous location 
        of the Internet website of the Department; and
            (4) submit to Congress on a monthly basis a report that 
        includes--
                    (A) a list of all adjudicated covered claims, 
                including ancillary claims, during the month covered by 
                the report;
                    (B) the outcome with respect to each medical 
                condition included in the claim; and
                    (C) the reason given for any denial of such a 
                claim.
    (d) Military Sexual Trauma Defined.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``covered claim'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 1164(c)(1) of title 38, United States Code, as 
        added by subsection (a)(1).
            (2) The term ``military sexual trauma'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 1164(c)(3) of title 38, United 
        States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1).

SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO SENIOR EXECUTIVE 
              EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    Section 705 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act 
of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 703 note) is amended by striking 
the period at the end and inserting the following: ``, of which, during 
fiscal years 2016 through 2018, not more than an aggregate amount of 
$2,000,000 in each such fiscal year may be paid to employees of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs who are members of the Senior Executive 
Service.''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 156

114th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 1607

                          [Report No. 114-207]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the disability 
compensation evaluation procedure of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
 for veterans with mental health conditions related to military sexual 
                    trauma, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             July 16, 2015

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed