I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1980 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs from requesting additional medical examinations of veterans who 

have submitted sufficient medical evidence provided by non-Department 

medical professionals and to improve the efficiency of processing certain 

claims for disability compensation by veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2013 

Mr. WALZ (for himself, Mr. DENHAM, Mr. JONES, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, 

Mr. BARBER, Ms. ESTY, Ms. KUSTER, and Mr. O’ROURKE) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from requesting additional 

medical examinations of veterans who have submitted 

sufficient medical evidence provided by non-Department 

medical professionals and to improve the efficiency of 

processing certain claims for disability compensation by 

veterans, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quicker Veterans Ben3 efits Delivery Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE PROVIDED BY 

5 NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

6 MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN SUPPORT OF 

7 CLAIMS DISABILITY COMPENSATION. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5103A(d) of title 38, 

9 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

10 following new paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(3) During the six-year period beginning on the date 

12 of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary may not 

13 request a medical examination under paragraph (1) in the 

14 case of a claim for disability compensation in support of 

15 which a claimant submits medical evidence provided by a 

16 non-Department medical professional, including a non-De17 partment medical opinion, that is competent, credible, pro18 bative, and otherwise adequate for purposes of making a 

19 decision on the claim.’’. 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

21 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to medical evidence 

22 submitted after the date that is 90 days after the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF DISABILITY CLAIMS PROC2 ESSING. 

3 (a) PRESTABILIZATION RATES.—Section 1156 of 

4 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

6 subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol8 lowing new subsection (c): 

9 ‘‘(c) PRESTABILIZATION RATES.—During the six10 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 

11 subsection, in assigning to a veteran a prestabilization rat12 ing pursuant to section 4.28 of title 38, Code of Federal 

13 Regulations, (or successor regulation), the Secretary shall 

14 assign such a rating at the level of total, 50 percent, or 

15 30 percent, as determined appropriate by the Secretary.’’. 

16 (b) TEMPORARY MINIMUM RATES.—Section 1156 of 

17 title 38, United States Code, is further amended by insert18 ing after subsection (c), as added by subsection (a), the 

19 following new subsection (d): 

20 ‘‘(d) TEMPORARY MINIMUM RATES.—During the six21 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 

22 subsection, the Secretary shall assign a temporary min23 imum disability rating to a veteran who— 

24 ‘‘(1) has one or more disabilities not covered 

25 under subsection (a); and 


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1 ‘‘(2) submits a claim for such disability that 

2 has sufficient evidence to support a minimum dis3 ability rating.’’. 

4 (c) REPORTING OF CLAIMS BACKLOG.—During the 

5 six-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of 

6 this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall not in7 clude any veteran to whom the Secretary has assigned a 

8 pre-stabilization rating under subsection (c) of section 

9 1156 of such title, as added by subsection (a), or a tem10 porary minimum disability rating under subsection (d) of 

11 such section, as added by subsection (b), in any count of 

12 the backlog of disability ratings to be assigned by the Sec13 retary. 

14 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 this section shall take effect on the date that is 90 days 

16 after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply 

17 with respect to claims for disability compensation filed on 

18 or after that date. 

19 SEC. 4. TIMING OF MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF BENEFITS 

20 UNDER THE LAWS ADMINISTERED BY THE 

21 SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5120(e) of title 38, 

23 United States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘Whenever’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) 

25 Whenever’’; and 


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1 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

2 paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(2) During the six-year period beginning on the date 

4 of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall 

5 certify benefit payments for any calendar month in such 

6 a way that such payments will be delivered by mail, or 

7 transmitted for credit to the payee’s account pursuant to 

8 subsection (d) of this section, before the first day of the 

9 calendar month for which such payments are issued.’’. 

10 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

11 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to a calendar month 

12 that begins after the date that is 90 days after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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