[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 203 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10271-H10272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
           IDENTIFYING BARRIERS AND BEST PRACTICES STUDY ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4183) 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4183

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 4183, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4183, as amended, the 
Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act, introduced by 
Representative Khanna of California.
  I support this legislation that requests a multiyear study on VA 
disability and pension benefits for members of the Reserve components 
and

[[Page H10272]]

National Guard. Any veteran injured during their time in service should 
have access to care for lingering disabilities and compensation for 
loss of earning power.
  Since September 11, members of the Reserve component and National 
Guard have increasingly answered the call to service to meet our 
Nation's national security needs. Yet, despite greater demands and 
commitments, Reserve and National Guard veterans and their families do 
not always have easy access to benefits.
  We have heard from our VSO partners that Guard and Reservists, like 
those who served in special missions, often have difficulty documenting 
injuries. Their medical records tend to be scattered and are often 
incomplete. This lack of in-service documentation of injury 
disproportionately affects Guard and Reservists.
  The additional burden of obtaining a line-of-duty determination, 
which provides clear documentation of injury, rests on their shoulders. 
This can prevent receipt of compensation from VA down the road.
  The study requested by this bill will compare Reserve and National 
Guard veterans and special operators, such as pilots and divers, to 
Active-Duty veterans and provide Congress with a report on the barriers 
they face when receiving their benefits through VA. The findings in the 
report will best inform Congress on next steps toward providing Reserve 
and National Guard veterans the compensation and benefits that they 
have earned.
  I urge all Members to support H.R. 4183, as amended, and take the 
first steps to removing barriers to benefits for Guard, Reserve, and 
special operators.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4183, the Identifying 
Barriers and Best Practices Study Act.
  H.R. 4183, as amended, would require the Government Accountability 
Office to complete a study that compares the utilization of disability 
and pension benefits between veterans of the National Guard, Reserve, 
and Active-Duty components.
  Some National Guard and Reserve veterans believe that it is more 
challenging for them to successfully apply for VA benefits compared to 
veterans of regular components. According to a Statement for the Record 
provided by The American Legion during the Disability Assistance and 
Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 4183: ``Guard and Reserve 
veterans have historically been at a disadvantage when seeking VA 
compensation and disability benefits due to poor reporting and 
documentation of injuries which occur during a period of Reserve or 
Active Duty for training.''
  We must ensure that all of our veterans who have been injured as a 
result of their service receive the benefits they have earned. This 
legislation would shed additional insight into the barriers our 
National Guard and Reserve veterans could face when seeking VA 
benefits. This may, in turn, inform how VA could improve its claims 
process for National Guard and Reserve veterans.
  I encourage all Members to support H.R. 4183, as amended.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared 
to close.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, as mentioned here, this is a problem we have been 
dealing with concerning our Reserve and National Guard. We want to make 
sure that they are provided with these benefits. I want to encourage 
all of our Members to support this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I just want to take this moment to just reflect on how much our 
reservists and National Guard have contributed to our national defense 
in these past 18 years.
  Some of us may recall the role of the Guard and Reserve during the 
Vietnam war era, where that was often a refuge for servicemembers who 
were not expecting to be called into Active Duty or called into 
service.
  But gone are those days. The National Guard and Reserve are called up 
frequently, often on multiple deployments, and they have served our 
country with vigor, with tremendous patriotism.
  So I have to say that I am very pleased that we are moving forward 
with this study. I think it is a travesty if our reservists and 
guardsmen cannot document their service-connected injuries and not be 
able to collect the benefits that they deserve down the road.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4183, as 
amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4183, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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