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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2434 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2434

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide regular notice to individuals submitting 
claims for benefits administered by the Secretary on the status of such 
                                claims.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2007

  Mrs. Drake introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide regular notice to individuals submitting 
claims for benefits administered by the Secretary on the status of such 
                                claims.

    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 ``Veterans Right to Know Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PROVIDE REGULAR 
              NOTICE TO CLAIMANTS OF BENEFITS ADMINISTERED BY THE 
              SECRETARY OF STATUS OF CLAIM.

    (a) Notice Requirement.--Chapter 51 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 5102 the following new 
section:
``Sec. 5102A. Notice to claimants of status of claims
    ``(a) Notice Required.--For any claim for a benefit under a law 
administered by the Secretary with respect to which the Secretary has 
made no decision, the Secretary shall provide to the claimant (and to 
the claimant's representative) notice of the status of the claim, using 
the method selected by the claimant pursuant to subsection (b), by not 
later than the date that is 60 days after the date on which the claim 
was submitted and every 60 days thereafter until the Secretary makes a 
decision with respect to the claim, unless the claimant chooses not to 
receive such notice pursuant to such subsection.
    ``(b) Method of Notice.--When a person submits a claim for a 
benefit under a law administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
furnish such person, free of all expense, notice of the Secretary's 
requirement to provide notice under subsection (a) and an appropriate 
form on which the person may choose a preferred method of receiving 
such notice or not to receive such notice.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
5102 the following new item:

``5102A. Notice to claimants of status of claims.''.
    (c) Deadline for Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall implement the notice requirement under section 5102A of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), by not later than 60 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>
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