[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3705 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3705

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the use of 
     certified mail and plain language in certain debt collection 
                              activities.


 


    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 Fair Debt Notice Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NOTICE RELATING TO DEBT 
              COLLECTION ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Debt Notification Letters.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall collaborate with veterans service organizations to write a 
standard letter to be provided to individuals who the Secretary 
determines owe debts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such letter 
shall be written in plain language and shall include a notice of the 
debt and a clear explanation of--
            (1) why the individual owes money to the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs; and
            (2) the options available to the individual.
    (b) Delivery of Letters.--The Secretary shall develop a method by 
which individuals may elect to receive debt notification letters by 
electronic means and shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that the 
letter developed under subsection (a) is delivered to intended 
recipients who have made such an election by both standard mail and by 
electronic means and to intended recipients who have not made such an 
election only by standard mail.
    (c) Notice to Congress.--
            (1) Notice of completion.--Upon completion of the letter 
        required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress notice of the completion of the letter.
            (2) Progress reports.--If the Secretary has not submitted 
        the notice required by paragraph (1) by the date that is 90 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        shall--
                    (A) submit to Congress a report describing the 
                progress of the Secretary toward implementing 
                subsection (a) and an explanation for why the letter 
                has not been completed; and
                    (B) every 30 days thereafter until the submittal of 
                the notice required by paragraph (1), submit to 
                Congress an update to the report under subparagraph (A) 
                that includes an additional explanation for the failure 
                to complete the letter.
    (d) Study; Report.--
            (1) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct 
        a study on the process by which the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs notifies veterans of debt collection efforts. Such 
        study shall include--
                    (A) an analysis of the scope of the problem of 
                veterans not receiving debt collection notices;
                    (B) a description of any non-legislative actions 
                the Secretary could take to reduce the number of 
                incorrect or unknown addresses of veterans in the 
                databases of the Department and a timeline for adopting 
                such actions; and
                    (C) an estimate of the costs associated with 
                sending debt collection notices by certified mail.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 12 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the study conducted under paragraph (1).

            Passed the House of Representatives November 8, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
115th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 3705

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the use of 
     certified mail and plain language in certain debt collection 
                              activities.