[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1509. Mr. HELLER (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. 
McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal 
year 2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for 
military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1085. INCREASED COOPERATION BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                   TO IMPROVE PROCESSING OF CLAIMS FOR VETERANS 
                   BENEFITS.

       (a) Procedures.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
     Secretary of Defense shall jointly develop and implement 
     procedures to improve the timely provision to the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs of such information as the Secretary 
     requires to process claims submitted to the Secretary for 
     benefits under laws administered by the Secretary.
       (2) Timely provision.--The procedures developed and 
     implemented under paragraph (1) shall ensure that the 
     information provided to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is 
     provided to the Secretary not later than 30 days after the 
     date on which the Secretary requests the information.
       (b) Annual Reports.--Not less frequently than once each 
     year, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to 
     Congress a report on--
       (1) the requests for information made by the Secretary 
     during the most recent one-year period for information from 
     the Secretary of Defense required by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs to process claims submitted to the Secretary 
     for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary; and
       (2) the timeliness of responses to such requests.
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