[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9575-9577]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      VETERAN ENGAGEMENT TEAMS ACT

  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3936) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary carries out 
Veteran Engagement Team events where veterans can complete claims for 
disability compensation and pension under the laws administered by the 
Secretary, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3936

       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 ``Veteran Engagement Teams 
     Act'' or ``VET Act''.

     SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                   VETERAN ENGAGEMENT TEAM EVENTS.

       (a) In General.--
       (1) Pilot program.--Beginning not later than October 1, 
     2016, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a 
     three-year pilot program under which the Secretary shall 
     carry out events, to be known as ``Veteran Engagement Team 
     events''. The Secretary shall ensure that such events are 
     carried out--
       (A) during the first year during which the Secretary 
     carries out the pilot program, at least once a month in a 
     location within the jurisdiction of each of 10 regional 
     offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including at 
     least two regional offices in each of the five districts of 
     the Veterans Benefits Administration under the organization 
     of such Administration in effect as of the date of the 
     enactment of this Act; and
       (B) during each of the second and third years during which 
     the Secretary carries out the pilot program, at least once a 
     month in a location within the jurisdiction of each of 15 
     regional offices of the Department, including at least three 
     regional offices in each such district.
       (2) Veteran engagement team events.--During each Veteran 
     Engagement Team event, the Secretary shall provide assistance 
     to veterans in completing and adjudicating claims for 
     disability compensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United 
     States Code, and for pension under chapter 15 of such title. 
     The Secretary shall ensure that--
       (A) all Veteran Engagement Team events occur during the 
     normal business hours of the sponsoring regional office;
       (B) the events are carried out at different locations 
     within the jurisdiction of each regional office and at least 
     50 miles from any regional office;
       (C) a sufficient number of physicians (to be available for 
     opinions only), veteran service representatives and rating 
     veteran service representatives, and other personnel are 
     available at the events to initiate, update, and finalize the 
     completion and adjudication of claims;
       (D) veterans service organizations have access to the 
     events for purposes of providing assistance to veterans; and
       (E) a veteran who is unable to complete and adjudicate a 
     claim at an event is informed of what additional information 
     or actions are needed to finalize the claim.
       (b) Location.--In selecting locations for Veteran 
     Engagement Team events under this section, the Secretary 
     shall--
       (1) coordinate with veteran service organizations and State 
     and local veterans agencies; and
       (2) seek to select locations that are community-based and 
     easily accessible.
       (c) Transfer of Personnel.--
       (1) Physicians.--The Secretary may not permanently transfer 
     any physician employed by the Veterans Health Administration 
     for the purpose of staffing a Veteran Engagement Team event.
       (2) Payment of salaries.--Any amount payable to an employee 
     of the Department for work performed at a Veteran Engagement 
     Team event is payable only from amounts otherwise available 
     for the payment of the salary of the employee. No additional 
     amounts are authorized to be appropriated under this section 
     for the payment of salaries for Department employee.
       (d) Other Authorities.--In carrying out the pilot program 
     under this section, the Secretary may--
       (1) coordinate with States, local governments, nonprofit 
     organizations, and private sector entities to use facilities 
     to host Veteran Engagement Team events for no or minimal 
     costs; and
       (2) accept, on a without compensation basis, services 
     provided by non-Department physicians in rendering medical 
     opinions relating to claims for compensation and pension.
       (e) Customer Satisfaction Surveys.--In carrying out the 
     pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall collect 
     and analyze information about the customer satisfaction of 
     veterans who have received assistance at an Veteran 
     Engagement Team event.
       (f) Reports.--Not later than April 30, 2017, and annually 
     thereafter beginning on October 1, 2017, for the duration of 
     the program, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
     on the implementation and effectiveness of the events. Such 
     report shall include--
       (1) the number and types of claims completed and 
     adjudicated at the events;
       (2) the number and types of claims for which assistance was 
     sought at the events that were not completed or adjudicated 
     at the events and the reasons such claims were not completed 
     or adjudicated; and

[[Page 9576]]

       (3) an analysis of the customer satisfaction of veterans 
     who have received assistance at an event based on the 
     information collected under subsection (e).

     SEC. 3. MODIFICATION TO LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES.

       Section 705 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
     Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 703 
     note) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 705. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO 
                   EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       ``The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the 
     aggregate amount of awards and bonuses paid by the Secretary 
     in a fiscal year under chapter 45 or 53 of title 5, United 
     States Code, or any other awards or bonuses authorized under 
     such title or title 38, United States Code, does not exceed 
     the following amounts:
       ``(1) With respect to fiscal year 2017, $250,000,000.
       ``(2) With respect to each of fiscal years 2018 through 
     2024, $360,000,000.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 3936, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise and urge all Members to support H.R. 3936, as amended. H.R. 
3936 would authorize a 3-year pilot program for Veteran Engagement 
Teams.
  Veteran Engagement Teams allow the Department of Veterans Affairs' 
employees to meet one on one with veterans to help facilitate the 
claims process. Veteran Engagement Teams bring veterans and VA claims 
processors and physicians to help facilitate the claims process. The VA 
is currently testing a similar program that has proven to be both 
popular and successful. Allowing veterans to talk with VA employees 
face-to-face helps to reduce confusion and frustration with the VA's 
complicated claims process.
  H.R. 3936, as amended, would require the VA to continue to provide 
this personal service to many veterans, which would reduce their 
frustration and confusion with the VA's complicated claims process.
  I thank Mr. Costello, a member of the Subcommittee on Disability 
Assistance and Memorial Affairs, for introducing this bill and for 
being an advocate for our veterans and their families.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3936, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of Mr. Costello's bill, H.R. 3936, that would 
establish a 3-year pilot program to assist veterans in receiving timely 
decisions on their claims.
  Under this administration, the VA has nearly eliminated the claims 
backlog. At the height of the backlog in 2013, there were more than 
600,000 claims. Today, that number has been reduced to fewer than 
75,000. The VA has made incredible strides on claims, and I applaud its 
hardworking staff who has made this happen. However, we also owe it to 
our veterans to look at and test new methods to improve services and 
continue refining the VA claims process. This legislation is a step in 
that direction.
  However, I must note that the VA's success in the timely processing 
of claims has come at the cost of a new backlog--appeals. There is an 
appeals inventory of 450,000. The average wait for a veteran to have 
his appeal resolved is almost 5 years.

                              {time}  1730

  We need to address this in our closing legislative days. If we do not 
act now, the VA predicts veterans will have to wait 10 years for a 
decision on their appeal. Now, I know we all agree that that simply is 
unacceptable. I look forward to working in a bipartisan fashion to fix 
this issue immediately.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), my friend and fellow member of the 
Veterans Affairs Committee.
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support my 
legislation, H.R. 3936, the VET Act, also known as the Veteran 
Engagement Teams Act.
  I would first like to thank Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick from Bucks 
County, Pennsylvania, and our staffers--Congressman Fitzpatrick's 
staffer Justin Rusk, and my senior legislative aide, Katharine Bruce--
for all their hard work on the VET Act. I am proud to have introduced 
this legislation with them, and we would not be here today were it not 
for their important collaboration in this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, the VET Act is a solution for the veteran who needs 
assistance navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs claims 
process. Many veterans struggle to navigate the VA's bureaucracy to 
submit their disability compensation or pension claims and to receive 
the benefits that they have earned.
  The VET Act aims to solve this problem and, in the process, reduce 
wait times, possible miscommunications, and lost paperwork by taking VA 
employees out of the office and placing them in the community where 
they can provide area veterans with one-on-one assistance at Veteran 
Engagement Team events. The events would be carried out at least 50 
miles from any regional office, and the Secretary would ensure that a 
sufficient number of physicians, veterans service representatives, and 
other personnel are present to initiate, update and finalize the 
completion and adjudication of claims. Pro bono services can also be 
provided at these events to help offer assistance to veterans from 
veteran service organizations. And the VA is instructed to coordinate 
with States, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private-
sector entities to secure community facilities at little or no cost, 
creating a so-called one-stop shop for veterans.
  And this is the gist of the bill, Mr. Speaker: if a veteran is unable 
to complete their claim at a VET event, the legislation directs VA 
employees to provide clear next steps for the veteran. Many veterans 
express frustration about the lack of clarity from the VA, and 
subsequently we find ourselves, as the ranking member mentioned, with a 
claims backlog often due to remands. And veterans get bounced back and 
forth, perhaps not even knowing that they did not submit information 
that they have in their records but have not yet been told by the VA. 
This aims to eliminate that.
  That is why under this legislation VA staff would be required to file 
reports that explain why claims were not completed, the number and 
types of claims that were completed, and customer satisfaction. Each of 
these steps is part of the solution to perfecting a claim, expediting 
its review, and avoiding unnecessary remands which clog up the claims 
docket. The goal is a more efficient system, Mr. Speaker. Transparency, 
timeliness, and accountability are the guiding principles of this bill.
  The VET Act's method is already assisting veterans. American Legion 
Veterans Benefits Centers and regional VA claims clinics have tested 
VET events and found success, proving this legislation can restore 
trust between veterans and the VA.
  It is also important to note the American Legion, Disabled American 
Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Paralyzed Veterans of America 
have all voiced their support for this bill.
  With over 45,000 veterans in my district, nearly 1 million in 
Pennsylvania and almost 22 million veterans in the United States, this 
legislation is a forward-looking solution that has the potential to 
assist many veterans across our country. Our veterans have earned their 
benefits, and this bill aims to make it easier for vets to file their 
claim and receive their benefits.

[[Page 9577]]

  Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Miller, the ranking member, 
and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee staff for their support and 
assistance and for ensuring this bill moved through the House this 
session.
  Our veterans have waited long enough and House passage today puts us 
one step closer to this bill becoming law. I urge all of my colleagues 
to support H.R. 3936, the VET Act.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 3936.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to thank Chairman 
Miller, Ranking Member Brown, and the members of the committee for all 
these bills we have passed this afternoon.
  I encourage all Members to support H.R. 3936, as amended.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3936, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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