[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4183 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.4183

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
  To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a 
  study on disability and pension benefits provided to members of the 
National Guard and members of reserve components of the Armed Forces by 
       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 ``Identifying Barriers and Best 
Practices Study Act''.
SEC. 2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON DISABILITY AND PENSION BENEFITS 
PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND MEMBERS OF RESERVE 
COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
    (a) In General.--Not later than 36 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall complete a study on disability and pension benefits provided to 
members of the National Guard and members of reserve components of the 
Armed Forces by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In conducting such 
study, the Comptroller General shall review, for the period beginning 
on January 1, 2008, and ending on December 31, 2018, each of the 
following:
        (1) The number of members of the National Guard and the number 
    of members of reserve components of the Armed Forces who received 
    disability compensation or pension provided by the Department of 
    Veterans Affairs.
        (2) A comparison of each of the following between veterans who 
    served only in the National Guard or reserve components and 
    veterans who served in the regular components of the Armed Forces:
            (A) The percentage of each group of such veterans with 
        service-connected disabilities.
            (B) The number of veterans in each group with each 
        disability rating.
            (C) The number of veterans in each group with a service-
        connected disability, including the number of each of the 
        following types of such veterans in each group:
                (i) Pilots.
                (ii) Veterans who served in the special forces.
                (iii) Veterans who participated in the Personnel 
            Reliability Program.
                (iv) Veterans who underwent diving or flight physicals 
            as a regular component of their service in the Armed Forces 
            and who have a muscular-skeletal or mental health 
            condition.
            (D) The number of total claims for disability compensation 
        and pension submitted, approved, and disapproved for each group 
        of veterans.
        (3) An identification of common barriers for members of the 
    National Guard and members of reserve components in obtaining 
    disability benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of 
    Veterans Affairs, including barriers relating to documentation of 
    injuries incurred while serving, such as line of duty letters.
    (b) Reports.--
        (1) Preliminary report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
    date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
    submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
    House of Representatives a preliminary report on the findings of 
    the study required by subsection (a).
        (2) Final report.--Upon completion of the study, the 
    Comptroller General shall submit to such Committees a final report 
    on such study.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.