[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8879 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8879

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve claims, made under 
   laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, regarding 
            military sexual trauma, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2024

 Mrs. Kim of California (for herself and Ms. Budzinski) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve claims, made under 
   laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, regarding 
            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 ``Improving VA Training for Military 
Sexual Trauma Claims Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF CLAIMS BASED ON MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA UNDER 
              LAWS ADMINISTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Training for Employees Who Process Such Claims.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 1166 of title 
        38, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``members of 
                teams established under subsection (a) are trained'' 
                and inserting ``each employee of the Department who 
                processes such a claim, communicates with a claimant 
                regarding evidence supporting such a claim, or decides 
                such a claim, receives annual sensitivity training and 
                training''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(4) The Secretary shall update training under this subsection not 
less than once annually.''.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
        House of Representatives a report regarding--
                    (A) training provided under such subsection before 
                such date; and
                    (B) plans of the Secretary to carry out the 
                amendments made by paragraph (1).
    (b) Expansion of Duty To Assist in Obtaining Records for a 
Compensation Claim.--Section 5103A(c) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (2) by inserting, after paragraph (1), the following new 
        paragraph (2):
    ``(2) In the case of a claim under section 1166 of this title, the 
assistance provided by the Secretary under this section shall include 
obtaining the service personnel record and service medical record of 
the claimant.''.
    (c) Sensitivity Training for Certain Contracted Health Care 
Professionals: Report; Improvements.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
House of Representatives a report on--
            (1) sensitivity training required for health care 
        professionals, contracted under section 504 of the Veterans' 
        Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-275; 38 
        U.S.C. 5101 note), to perform examinations of veterans who make 
        claims under section 1166 of title 38, United States Code; and
            (2) the plan of the Secretary to--
                    (A) improve such sensitivity training; and
                    (B) ensure that a veteran who makes such a claim is 
                not retraumatized during such an examination by such a 
                contracted health care professional.
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