IC 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1203 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 

Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Education and the Workforce, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

AN ACT 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 

furnishing of health care to veterans by the Department 

of Veterans Affairs, to improve the processing by the 

Department of claims for disability compensation, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery and Other Im4 provements Act’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—HEALTH CARE MATTERS 

Subtitle A—Expansion and Improvement of Health Care Benefits 

Sec. 101. Improved access to appropriate immunizations for veterans. 

Sec. 102. Expansion of provision of chiropractic care and services to veterans. 

Subtitle B—Health Care Administration 

Sec. 111. Expansion of availability of prosthetic and orthotic care for veterans. 

Sec. 112. Reports on public access to Department of Veterans Affairs research. 

Sec. 113. Revival of Intermediate Care Technician Pilot Program of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 114. Transfer of health care provider credentialing data from Secretary of 

Defense to Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

Subtitle C—Improvement of Medical Workforce 

Sec. 121. Inclusion of mental health professionals in education and training 

program for health personnel of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

Sec. 122. Expansion of qualifications for licensed mental health counselors of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs to include doctoral degrees. 

Sec. 123. Report on medical workforce of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

TITLE II—COMPENSATION AND OTHER BENEFITS MATTERS 

Subtitle A—Benefits Claims Submission 

Sec. 201. Participation of veterans service organizations in Transition Assistance Program. 

Sec. 202. Requirement that Secretary of Veterans Affairs publish the average 

time required to adjudicate timely and untimely appeals. 

Sec. 203. Determination of manner of appearance for hearings before Board of 

Veterans’ Appeals. 

Subtitle B—Practices of Regional Offices Relating to Benefits Claims 

Sec. 211. Comptroller General review of claims processing performance of regional offices of Veterans Benefits Administration. 

Sec. 212. Inclusion in annual budget submission of information on capacity of 

Veterans Benefits Administration to process benefits claims. 


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Sec. 213. Report on staffing levels at regional offices of Department of Veterans Affairs after transition to National Work Queue. 

Sec. 214. Annual report on progress in implementing Veterans Benefits Management System. 

Sec. 215. Report on plans of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reduce inventory 

of non-rating workload. 

Sec. 216. Sense of Congress on increased transparency relating to claims for 

benefits and appeals of decisions relating to benefits in Monday 

Morning Workload Report. 

Subtitle C—Other Benefits Matters 

Sec. 221. Modification of pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations. 

Sec. 222. Development of procedures to increase cooperation with National 

Guard Bureau. 

Sec. 223. Review of determination of certain service in Philippines during 

World War II. 

Sec. 224. Sense of Congress on submittal of information relating to claims for 

disabilities incurred or aggravated by military sexual trauma. 

TITLE III—EDUCATION MATTERS 

Sec. 301. Retention of entitlement to educational assistance during certain additional periods of active duty. 

Sec. 302. Reports on progress of students receiving Post-9/11 Educational Assistance. 

Sec. 303. Secretary of Defense report on level of education attained by those 

who transfer entitlement to Post-9/11 educational assistance. 

Sec. 304. Reports on educational levels attained by certain members of the 

Armed Forces at time of separation from the Armed Forces. 

TITLE IV—EMPLOYMENT AND TRANSITION MATTERS 

Sec. 401. Required coordination between Directors for Veterans’ Employment 

and Training with State departments of labor and veterans affairs. 

Sec. 402. Report on job fairs attended by one-stop career center employees at 

which such employees encounter veterans. 

Sec. 403. Review of challenges faced by employers seeking to hire veterans and 

sharing of information among Federal agencies that serve veterans. 

Sec. 404. Review of Transition GPS Program Core Curriculum. 

Sec. 405. Modification of requirement for provision of preseparation counseling. 

TITLE V—VETERAN SMALL BUSINESS MATTERS 

Sec. 501. Modification of treatment under contracting goals and preferences of 

Department of Veterans Affairs for small businesses owned by 

veterans of small businesses after death of disabled veteran 

owners. 

Sec. 502. Treatment of businesses after deaths of servicemember-owners for 

purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs contracting goals 

and preferences. 

TITLE VI—BURIAL MATTERS 


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Sec. 601. Department of Veterans Affairs study on matters relating to burial 

of unclaimed remains of veterans in national cemeteries. 

TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 701. Honoring as veterans certain persons who performed service in the 

reserve components of the Armed Forces. 

Sec. 702. Report on Laotian military support of Armed Forces of the United 

States during Vietnam War. 

Sec. 703. Restoration of prior reporting fee multipliers. 

1 TITLE I—HEALTH CARE 

2 MATTERS 

3 Subtitle A—Expansion and Im4 provement of Health Care Bene5 fits 

6 SEC. 101. IMPROVED ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE IMMUNIZA7 TIONS FOR VETERANS. 

8 (a) INCLUSION OF RECOMMENDED ADULT IMMUNI9 ZATIONS AS MEDICAL SERVICES.— 

10 (1) COVERED BENEFIT.—Subparagraph (F) of 

11 section 1701(9) of title 38, United States Code, is 

12 amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(F) immunizations against infectious dis14 eases, including each immunization on the rec15 ommended adult immunization schedule at the 

16 time such immunization is indicated on that 

17 schedule;’’. 

18 (2) RECOMMENDED ADULT IMMUNIZATION

19 SCHEDULE DEFINED.—Section 1701 of such title is 

20 amended by adding after paragraph (9) the fol21 lowing new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(10) The term ‘recommended adult immuniza2 tion schedule’ means the schedule established (and 

3 periodically reviewed and, as appropriate, revised) by 

4 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices 

5 established by the Secretary of Health and Human 

6 Services and delegated to the Centers for Disease 

7 Control and Prevention.’’. 

8 (b) INCLUSION OF RECOMMENDED ADULT IMMUNI9 ZATIONS IN ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 1704(1)(A) of 

10 such title is amended— 

11 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 

13 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following 

15 new clause: 

16 ‘‘(iii) to provide veterans each immu17 nization on the recommended adult immu18 nization schedule at the time such immuni19 zation is indicated on that schedule.’’. 

20 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Com24 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

25 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 


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1 Representatives a report on the development and im2 plementation by the Department of Veterans Affairs 

3 of quality measures and metrics, including targets 

4 for compliance, to ensure that veterans receiving 

5 medical services under chapter 17 of title 38, United 

6 States Code, receive each immunization on the rec7 ommended adult immunization schedule at the time 

8 such immunization is indicated on that schedule. 

9 (2) RECOMMENDED ADULT IMMUNIZATION

10 SCHEDULE DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term 

11 ‘‘recommended adult immunization schedule’’ has 

12 the meaning given that term in section 1701(10) of 

13 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 

14 (a)(2). 

15 SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF PROVISION OF CHIROPRACTIC 

16 CARE AND SERVICES TO VETERANS. 

17 (a) PROGRAM FOR PROVISION OF CHIROPRACTIC

18 CARE AND SERVICES TO VETERANS.—Section 204(c) of 

19 the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Pro20 grams Enhancement Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–135; 

21 115 Stat. 2459; 38 U.S.C. 1710 note) is amended— 

22 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘The program’’; 

23 and 

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

25 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(2) The program shall be carried out at not fewer 

2 than two medical centers or clinics in each Veterans Inte3 grated Service Network by not later than two years after 

4 the date of the enactment of the 21st Century Veterans 

5 Benefits Delivery and Other Improvements Act, and at 

6 not fewer than 50 percent of all medical centers in each 

7 Veterans Integrated Service Network by not later than 

8 three years after such date of enactment.’’. 

9 (b) EXPANDED CHIROPRACTOR SERVICES AVAIL10 ABLE TO VETERANS.— 

11 (1) MEDICAL SERVICES.—Paragraph (6) of sec12 tion 1701 of title 38, United States Code, is amend13 ed by adding at the end the following new subpara14 graph: 

15 ‘‘(H) Chiropractic services.’’. 

16 (2) REHABILITATIVE SERVICES.—Paragraph 

17 (8) of such section is amended by inserting ‘‘chiro18 practic,’’ after ‘‘counseling,’’. 

19 (3) PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES.—Para20 graph (9) of such section is amended— 

21 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 

22 through (K) as subparagraphs (G) through (L), 

23 respectively; and 

24 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 

25 the following new subparagraph (F): 


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1 ‘‘(F) periodic and preventive chiropractic 

2 examinations and services;’’. 

3 Subtitle B—Health Care 

4 Administration 

5 SEC. 111. EXPANSION OF AVAILABILITY OF PROSTHETIC 

6 AND ORTHOTIC CARE FOR VETERANS. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OR EXPANSION OF ADVANCED

8 DEGREE PROGRAMS TO EXPAND AVAILABILITY OF PRO9 VISION OF CARE.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

10 work with institutions of higher education to develop part11 nerships for the establishment or expansion of programs 

12 of advanced degrees in prosthetics and orthotics in order 

13 to improve and enhance the availability of high quality 

14 prosthetic and orthotic care for veterans. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the effec16 tive date specified in subsection (d), the Secretary shall 

17 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen18 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

19 of Representatives a report setting forth a plan for car20 rying out subsection (a). The Secretary shall develop the 

21 plan in consultation with veterans service organizations, 

22 institutions of higher education with accredited degree 

23 programs in prosthetics and orthotics, and representatives 

24 of the prosthetics and orthotics field. 

25 (c) FUNDING.— 


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1 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for 

3 fiscal year 2017 for the Department of Veterans Af4 fairs, $5,000,000 to carry out this section. 

5 (2) AVAILABILITY.—The amount authorized to 

6 be appropriated by paragraph (1) shall remain avail7 able for expenditure until September 30, 2019. 

8 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

9 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 112. REPORTS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO DEPARTMENT 

12 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS RESEARCH. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act and not later than one 

15 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee 

17 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

18 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

19 on increasing public access to scientific publications and 

20 digital data from research funded by the Department of 

21 Veterans Affairs. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub23 section (a) shall include the following: 

24 (1) Identification of where on the Internet 

25 website of the Department the public will be able to 


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1 access results of research funded by the Department 

2 or be referred to other sources to access the results 

3 of research funded by the Department. 

4 (2) A description of the progress made by the 

5 Department in meeting public access requirements 

6 set forth in the Federal Register notice entitled 

7 ‘‘Policy and Implementation Plan for Public Access 

8 to Scientific Publications and Digital Data from Re9 search Funded by the Department of Veterans Af10 fairs’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 60751), including the following: 

11 (A) Compliance of Department investiga12 tors with requirements relating to ensuring that 

13 research funded by the Department is accessible 

14 by the public. 

15 (B) Ensuring data management plans of 

16 the Department include provisions for long-term 

17 preservation of the scientific data resulting 

18 from research funded by the Department. 

19 (3) An explanation of the factors used to evalu20 ate the merit of data management plans of research 

21 funded by the Veterans Health Administration. 

22 (4) An explanation of the process of the De23 partment in effect that enables stakeholders to peti24 tion a change to the embargo period for a specific 

25 field and the factors considered during such process. 


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1 SEC. 113. REVIVAL OF INTERMEDIATE CARE TECHNICIAN 

2 PILOT PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VET3 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) REVIVAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

5 shall revive the Intermediate Care Technician Pilot Pro6 gram of the Department of Veterans Affairs that was car7 ried out by the Secretary between January 2013 and Feb8 ruary 2014. 

9 (b) TECHNICIANS.— 

10 (1) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select not 

11 less than 72 intermediate care technicians to partici12 pate in the pilot program. 

13 (2) FACILITIES.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Any intermediate care 

15 technician hired pursuant to paragraph (1) may 

16 be assigned to a medical facility of the Depart17 ment as determined by the Secretary for pur18 poses of this section. 

19 (B) PRIORITY.—In assigning intermediate 

20 care technicians under subparagraph (A), the 

21 Secretary shall give priority to facilities at 

22 which veterans have the longest wait times for 

23 appointments for the receipt of hospital care or 

24 medical services from the Department, as deter25 mined by the Secretary for purposes of this sec26 tion. 


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1 (c) TERMINATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

2 the pilot program under subsection (a) during the three3 year period beginning on the effective date specified in 

4 subsection (e). 

5 (d) HOSPITAL CARE AND MEDICAL SERVICES DE6 FINED.—In this section, the terms ‘‘hospital care’’ and 

7 ‘‘medical services’’ have the meanings given such terms 

8 in section 1701 of title 38, United States Code. 

9 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

10 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact11 ment of this Act. 

12 SEC. 114. TRANSFER OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDER 

13 CREDENTIALING DATA FROM SECRETARY OF 

14 DEFENSE TO SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF15 FAIRS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—In a case in which the Secretary 

17 of Veterans Affairs hires a covered health care provider, 

18 the Secretary of Defense shall, after receiving a request 

19 from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the 

20 credentialing data of the Secretary of Defense relating to 

21 such health care provider, transfer to the Secretary of Vet22 erans Affairs such credentialing data. 

23 (b) COVERED HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.—For pur24 poses of this section, a covered provider is a health care 

25 provider who— 


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1 (1) is or was employed by the Secretary of De2 fense; 

3 (2) provides or provided health care related 

4 services as part of such employment; and 

5 (3) was credentialed by the Secretary of De6 fense. 

7 (c) POLICIES AND REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of 

8 Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall estab9 lish such policies and promulgate such regulations as may 

10 be necessary to carry out this section. 

11 (d) CREDENTIALING DEFINED.—In this section, the 

12 term ‘‘credentialing’’ means the systematic process of 

13 screening and evaluating qualifications and other creden14 tials, including licensure, required education, relevant 

15 training and experience, and current competence and 

16 health status. 

17 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

18 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact19 ment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 115. EXAMINATION AND TREATMENT BY DEPARTMENT 

2 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR EMERGENCY 

3 MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND WOMEN IN 

4 LABOR. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 of 

6 title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

7 section 1784 the following new section: 

8 ‘‘§ 1784A. Examination and treatment for emergency 

9 medical conditions and women in labor 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a hospital of the 

11 Department that has an emergency department, if any in12 dividual comes to the hospital or the campus of the hos13 pital and a request is made on behalf of the individual 

14 for examination or treatment for a medical condition, the 

15 hospital must provide for an appropriate medical screen16 ing examination within the capability of the emergency de17 partment, including ancillary services routinely available 

18 to the emergency department, to determine whether or not 

19 an emergency medical condition exists. 

20 ‘‘(b) NECESSARY STABILIZING TREATMENT FOR

21 EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND LABOR.—(1) If 

22 any individual comes to a hospital of the Department that 

23 has an emergency department or the campus of such a 

24 hospital and the hospital determines that the individual 

25 has an emergency medical condition, the hospital must 

26 provide either— 


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1 ‘‘(A) within the staff and facilities available at 

2 the hospital, for such further medical examination 

3 and such treatment as may be required to stabilize 

4 the medical condition; or 

5 ‘‘(B) for transfer of the individual to another 

6 medical facility in accordance with subsection (c). 

7 ‘‘(2) A hospital is deemed to meet the requirement 

8 of paragraph (1)(A) with respect to an individual if the 

9 hospital offers the individual the further medical examina10 tion and treatment described in that paragraph and in11 forms the individual (or a person acting on behalf of the 

12 individual) of the risks and benefits to the individual of 

13 such examination and treatment, but the individual (or a 

14 person acting on behalf of the individual) refuses to con15 sent to the examination and treatment. The hospital shall 

16 take all reasonable steps to secure the written informed 

17 consent of the individual (or person) to refuse such exam18 ination and treatment. 

19 ‘‘(3) A hospital is deemed to meet the requirement 

20 of paragraph (1) with respect to an individual if the hos21 pital offers to transfer the individual to another medical 

22 facility in accordance with subsection (c) and informs the 

23 individual (or a person acting on behalf of the individual) 

24 of the risks and benefits to the individual of such transfer, 

25 but the individual (or a person acting on behalf of the 


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1 individual) refuses to consent to the transfer. The hospital 

2 shall take all reasonable steps to secure the written in3 formed consent of the individual (or person) to refuse such 

4 transfer. 

5 ‘‘(c) RESTRICTING TRANSFERS UNTIL INDIVIDUAL

6 STABILIZED.—(1) If an individual at a hospital of the De7 partment has an emergency medical condition that has not 

8 been stabilized, the hospital may not transfer the indi9 vidual unless— 

10 ‘‘(A)(i) the individual (or a legally responsible 

11 person acting on behalf of the individual), after 

12 being informed of the obligations of the hospital 

13 under this section and of the risk of transfer, re14 quests, in writing, transfer to another medical facil15 ity; 

16 ‘‘(ii) a physician of the Department has signed 

17 a certification that, based upon the information 

18 available at the time of transfer, the medical benefits 

19 reasonably expected from the provision of appro20 priate medical treatment at another medical facility 

21 outweigh the increased risks to the individual and, 

22 in the case of labor, to the unborn child from effect23 ing the transfer; or 

24 ‘‘(iii) if a physician of the Department is not 

25 physically present in the emergency department at 


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1 the time an individual is transferred, a qualified 

2 medical person (as defined by the Secretary for pur3 poses of this section) has signed a certification de4 scribed in clause (ii) after a physician of the Depart5 ment, in consultation with the person, has made the 

6 determination described in such clause, and subse7 quently countersigns the certification; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the transfer is an appropriate transfer to 

9 that facility. 

10 ‘‘(2) A certification described in clause (ii) or (iii) of 

11 paragraph (1)(A) shall include a summary of the risks and 

12 benefits upon which the certification is based. 

13 ‘‘(3) For purposes of paragraph (1)(B), an appro14 priate transfer to a medical facility is a transfer— 

15 ‘‘(A) in which the transferring hospital provides 

16 the medical treatment within its capacity that mini17 mizes the risks to the health of the individual and, 

18 in the case of a woman in labor, the health of the 

19 unborn child; 

20 ‘‘(B) in which the receiving facility— 

21 ‘‘(i) has available space and qualified per22 sonnel for the treatment of the individual; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) has agreed to accept transfer of the 

24 individual and to provide appropriate medical 

25 treatment; 


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1 ‘‘(C) in which the transferring hospital sends to 

2 the receiving facility all medical records (or copies 

3 thereof) available at the time of the transfer relating 

4 to the emergency medical condition for which the in5 dividual has presented, including— 

6 ‘‘(i) observations of signs or symptoms; 

7 ‘‘(ii) preliminary diagnosis; 

8 ‘‘(iii) treatment provided; 

9 ‘‘(iv) the results of any tests; and 

10 ‘‘(v) the informed written consent or cer11 tification (or copy thereof) provided under para12 graph (1)(A); 

13 ‘‘(D) in which the transfer is effected through 

14 qualified personnel and transportation equipment, 

15 including the use of necessary and medically appro16 priate life support measures during the transfer; and 

17 ‘‘(E) that meets such other requirements as the 

18 Secretary considers necessary in the interest of the 

19 health and safety of individuals transferred. 

20 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) The term ‘campus’ means, with respect to 

22 a hospital of the Department— 

23 ‘‘(A) the physical area immediately adja24 cent to the main buildings of the hospital; 


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1 ‘‘(B) other areas and structures that are 

2 not strictly contiguous to the main buildings 

3 but are located not less than 250 yards from 

4 the main buildings; and 

5 ‘‘(C) any other areas determined by the 

6 Secretary to be part of the campus of the hos7 pital. 

8 ‘‘(2) The term ‘emergency medical condition’ 

9 means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a medical condition manifesting itself 

11 by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (in12 cluding severe pain) such that the absence of 

13 immediate medical attention could reasonably 

14 be expected to result in— 

15 ‘‘(i) placing the health of the indi16 vidual (or, with respect to a pregnant 

17 woman, the health of the woman or her 

18 unborn child) in serious jeopardy; 

19 ‘‘(ii) serious impairment to bodily 

20 functions; or 

21 ‘‘(iii) serious dysfunction of any bodily 

22 organ or part; or 

23 ‘‘(B) with respect to a pregnant woman 

24 who is having contractions— 


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1 ‘‘(i) that there is inadequate time to 

2 effect a safe transfer to another hospital 

3 before delivery; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) that transfer may pose a threat 

5 to the health or safety of the woman or the 

6 unborn child. 

7 ‘‘(3)(A) The term ‘to stabilize’ means, with re8 spect to an emergency medical condition described in 

9 paragraph (2)(A), to provide such medical treatment 

10 of the condition as may be necessary to assure, with11 in reasonable medical probability, that no material 

12 deterioration of the condition is likely to result from 

13 or occur during the transfer of the individual from 

14 a facility, or, with respect to an emergency medical 

15 condition described in paragraph (2)(B), to deliver 

16 (including the placenta). 

17 ‘‘(B) The term ‘stabilized’ means, with respect 

18 to an emergency medical condition described in 

19 paragraph (2)(A), that no material deterioration of 

20 the condition is likely, within reasonable medical 

21 probability, to result from or occur during the trans22 fer of the individual from a facility, or, with respect 

23 to an emergency medical condition described in 

24 paragraph (2)(B), that the woman has delivered (in25 cluding the placenta). 


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1 ‘‘(4) The term ‘transfer’ means the movement 

2 (including the discharge) of an individual outside the 

3 facilities of a hospital of the Department at the di4 rection of any person employed by (or affiliated or 

5 associated, directly or indirectly, with) the hospital, 

6 but does not include such a movement of an indi7 vidual who— 

8 ‘‘(A) has been declared dead; or 

9 ‘‘(B) leaves the facility without the permis10 sion of any such person.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 

13 by inserting after the item relating to section 1784 the 

14 following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 1784A. Examination and treatment for emergency medical conditions and 

women in labor.’’. 

15 Subtitle C—Improvement of 

16 Medical Workforce 

17 SEC. 121. INCLUSION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 

18 IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 

19 HEALTH PERSONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT 

20 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the education and 

22 training program required under section 7302(a)(1) of 

23 title 38, United States Code, the Secretary of Veterans 

24 Affairs shall include education and training of marriage 


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1 and family therapists and licensed professional mental 

2 health counselors. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall take ef4 fect on the date that is one year after the date of the en5 actment of this Act. 

6 SEC. 122. EXPANSION OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSED 

7 MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS OF THE DE8 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO IN9 CLUDE DOCTORAL DEGREES. 

10 Section 7402(b)(11)(A) of title 38, United States 

11 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or doctoral degree’’ after 

12 ‘‘master’s degree’’. 

13 SEC. 123. REPORT ON MEDICAL WORKFORCE OF THE DE14 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet17 erans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans 

18 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans Af19 fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the med20 ical workforce of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

21 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

22 (a) shall include the following: 

23 (1) With respect to licensed professional mental 

24 health counselors and marriage and family thera25 pists of the Department— 


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1 (A) how many such counselors and thera2 pists are currently enrolled in the mental health 

3 professionals trainee program of the Depart4 ment; 

5 (B) how many such counselors and thera6 pists are expected to enroll in the mental health 

7 professionals trainee program of the Depart8 ment during the 180-day period beginning on 

9 the date of the submittal of the report; 

10 (C) a description of the eligibility criteria 

11 for such counselors and therapists as compared 

12 to other behavioral health professions in the 

13 Department; 

14 (D) a description of the objectives, goals, 

15 and timing of the Department with respect to 

16 increasing the representation of such counselors 

17 and therapists in the behavioral health work18 force of the Department; and 

19 (E) a description of the actions taken by 

20 the Secretary, in consultation with the Director 

21 of the Office of Personnel Management, to cre22 ate an occupational series for such counselors 

23 and therapists and a timeline for the creation 

24 of such an occupational series. 


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1 (2) A breakdown of spending by the Depart2 ment in connection with the education debt reduc3 tion program of the Department under subchapter 

4 VII of chapter 76 of title 38, United States Code, 

5 including— 

6 (A) the amount spent by the Department 

7 in debt reduction payments during the three8 year period preceding the submittal of the re9 port disaggregated by the medical profession of 

10 the individual receiving the payments; 

11 (B) a description of how the Department 

12 prioritizes such spending by medical profession, 

13 including an assessment of whether such pri14 ority reflects the five occupations identified in 

15 the most recent determination by the Inspector 

16 General of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

17 as having the largest staffing shortages in the 

18 Veterans Health Administration; and 

19 (C) a description of the actions taken by 

20 the Secretary to increase the effectiveness of 

21 such spending for purposes of recruitment of 

22 health care providers to the Department, in23 cluding efforts to more consistently include eli24 gibility for the education debt reduction proVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Nov 17, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1203.RFH S1203

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1 gram in vacancy announcements of positions for 

2 health care providers at the Department. 

3 (3) A description of any impediments to the de4 livery by the Department of telemedicine services to 

5 veterans and any actions taken by the Department 

6 to address such impediments, including with respect 

7 to— 

8 (A) restrictions under Federal or State 

9 laws; 

10 (B) licensing or credentialing issues for 

11 health care providers, including non-Depart12 ment health care providers, practicing telemedi13 cine with a veteran located in a different State; 

14 (C) the effect of limited broadband access 

15 or limited information technology capabilities on 

16 the delivery of health care; 

17 (D) the distance a veteran is required to 

18 travel to access a facility or clinic with telemedi19 cine capabilities; 

20 (E) the effect on the provision of telemedi21 cine services to veterans of policies of and lim22 ited liability protection for certain entities; and 

23 (F) issues relating to reimbursement and 

24 travel limitations for veterans that affect the 


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1 participation of non-Department health care 

2 providers in the telemedicine program. 

3 (4) An update on the efforts of the Secretary 

4 to offer training opportunities in telemedicine to 

5 medical residents in medical facilities of the Depart6 ment that use telemedicine, consistent with medical 

7 residency program requirements established by the 

8 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Edu9 cation, as required in section 108(b) of the Honoring 

10 America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune 

11 Families Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–154; 38 

12 U.S.C. 7406 note). 

13 (5) An assessment of the development and im14 plementation by the Secretary of succession planning 

15 policies to address the prevalence of vacancies in po16 sitions in the Veterans Health Administration of 

17 more than 180 days, including the development of 

18 an enterprise position management system to more 

19 effectively identify, track, and resolve such vacan20 cies. 

21 (6) A description of the actions taken by the 

22 Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the 

23 Office of Personnel Management, to address any im24 pediments to the timely appointment and determina25 tion of qualifications for Directors of Veterans InteVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Nov 17, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1203.RFH S1203

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1 grated Service Networks and Medical Directors of 

2 the Department. 

3 TITLE II—COMPENSATION AND 

4 OTHER BENEFITS MATTERS 

5 Subtitle A—Benefits Claims 

6 Submission 

7 SEC. 201. PARTICIPATION OF VETERANS SERVICE ORGANI8 ZATIONS IN TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PRO9 GRAM. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with 

12 the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Homeland Secu13 rity, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should estab14 lish a process by which a representative of a veterans serv15 ice organization may be present at any portion of the pro16 gram carried out under section 1144 of title 10, United 

17 States Code, relating to the submittal of claims to the Sec18 retary of Veterans Affairs for compensation under chapter 

19 11 or 13 of title 38, United States Code. 

20 (b) REPORT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report 

24 on participation of veterans service organizations in 


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1 the program carried out under section 1144 of title 

2 10, United States Code. 

3 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para4 graph (1) shall include the following: 

5 (A) An assessment of the compliance of fa6 cilities of the Department of Defense with the 

7 directives included in the memorandum of the 

8 Secretary of Defense entitled ‘‘Installation Ac9 cess and Support Services for Nonprofit Non10 Federal Entities’’ and dated December 23, 

11 2014. 

12 (B) The number of military bases that 

13 have complied with such directives. 

14 (C) How many veterans service organiza15 tions have been present at a portion of a pro16 gram as described in subsection (a). 

17 (c) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEFINED.— 

18 In this section, the term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

19 means any organization recognized by the Secretary for 

20 the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 

21 38. 


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1 SEC. 202. REQUIREMENT THAT SECRETARY OF VETERANS 

2 AFFAIRS PUBLISH THE AVERAGE TIME RE3 QUIRED TO ADJUDICATE TIMELY AND UN4 TIMELY APPEALS. 

5 (a) PUBLICATION REQUIREMENT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—On an ongoing basis, the 

7 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make available to 

8 the public the following: 

9 (A) The average length of time to adju10 dicate a timely appeal. 

11 (B) The average length of time to adju12 dicate an untimely appeal. 

13 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (1) shall 

14 take effect on the date that is one year after the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply 

16 until the date that is three years after the date of 

17 the enactment of this Act. 

18 (b) REPORT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 39 months 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 

22 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet23 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a re24 port on whether publication pursuant to subsection 

25 (a)(1) has had an effect on the number of timely ap26 peals filed. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para2 graph (1) shall include the following: 

3 (A) The number of appeals and timely ap4 peals that were filed during the one-year period 

5 ending on the effective date specified in sub6 section (a)(2). 

7 (B) The number of appeals and timely ap8 peals that were filed during the one-year period 

9 ending on the date that is two years after the 

10 effective date specified in subsection (a)(2). 

11 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) APPEAL.—The term ‘‘appeal’’ means a no13 tice of disagreement filed pursuant to section 

14 7105(a) of title 38, United States Code, in response 

15 to notice of the result of an initial review or deter16 mination regarding a claim for a benefit under a law 

17 administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

18 (2) TIMELY.—The term ‘‘timely’’ with respect 

19 to an appeal means that the notice of disagreement 

20 was filed not more than 180 days after the date of 

21 mailing of the notice of the result of the initial re22 view or determination described in paragraph (1). 

23 (3) UNTIMELY.—The term ‘‘untimely’’ with re24 spect to an appeal means the notice of disagreement 

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1 ing of the notice of the result of the initial review 

2 or determination described in paragraph (1). 

3 SEC. 203. DETERMINATION OF MANNER OF APPEARANCE 

4 FOR HEARINGS BEFORE BOARD OF VET5 ERANS’ APPEALS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7107 of title 38, United 

7 States Code, is amended— 

8 (1) by striking subsection (e); 

9 (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (f) as 

10 subsections (f) and (g), respectively; 

11 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol12 lowing new subsections (d) and (e): 

13 ‘‘(d)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a hearing before 

14 the Board shall be conducted, as the Board considers ap15 propriate— 

16 ‘‘(A) in person; or 

17 ‘‘(B) through picture and voice transmission, by 

18 electronic or other means, in such manner that the 

19 appellant is not present in the same location as the 

20 member or members of the Board during the hear21 ing. 

22 ‘‘(2) Upon request by an appellant, a hearing before 

23 the Board shall be conducted, as the appellant considers 

24 appropriate— 

25 ‘‘(A) in person; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) through picture and voice transmission as 

2 described in paragraph (1)(B). 

3 ‘‘(e)(1) In a case in which a hearing before the Board 

4 is to be conducted through picture and voice transmission 

5 as described in subsection (d)(1)(B), the Secretary shall 

6 provide suitable facilities and equipment to the Board or 

7 other components of the Department to enable an appel8 lant located at an appropriate facility within the area 

9 served by a regional office to participate as so described. 

10 ‘‘(2) Any hearing conducted through picture and 

11 voice transmission as described in subsection (d)(1)(B) 

12 shall be conducted in the same manner as, and shall be 

13 considered the equivalent of, a personal hearing.’’; and 

14 (4) in subsection (f)(1), as redesignated by 

15 paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘An appellant may re16 quest’’ and all that follows through ‘‘office of the 

17 Department’’ and inserting ‘‘In a case in which a 

18 hearing before the Board is to be conducted in per19 son, the hearing shall be held at the principal loca20 tion of the Board or at a facility of the Department 

21 located within the area served by a regional office of 

22 the Department’’. 

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (a)(1) 

24 of such section is amended by striking ‘‘in subsection (f)’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘in subsection (g)’’. 


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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

2 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to cases received 

3 by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals pursuant to notices of 

4 disagreement submitted on or after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act. 

6 Subtitle B—Practices of Regional 

7 Offices Relating to Benefits Claims 

8 SEC. 211. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW OF CLAIMS 

9 PROCESSING PERFORMANCE OF REGIONAL 

10 OFFICES OF VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINIS11 TRATION. 

12 (a) REVIEW REQUIRED.—Not later than 15 months 

13 after the effective date specified in subsection (e), the 

14 Comptroller General of the United States shall complete 

15 a review of the regional offices of the Veterans Benefits 

16 Administration to help the Veterans Benefits Administra17 tion achieve more consistent performance in the processing 

18 of claims for disability compensation. 

19 (b) ELEMENTS.—The review required by subsection 

20 (a) shall include the following: 

21 (1) An identification of the following: 

22 (A) The factors, including management 

23 practices, that distinguish higher performing re24 gional offices from other regional offices with 

25 respect to claims for disability compensation. 


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1 (B) The best practices employed by higher 

2 performing regional offices that distinguish the 

3 performance of such offices from other regional 

4 offices. 

5 (C) Such other management practices or 

6 tools as the Comptroller General determines 

7 could be used to improve the performance of re8 gional offices. 

9 (2) An assessment of the effectiveness of com10 munication with respect to the processing of claims 

11 for disability compensation between the regional of12 fices and veterans service organizations and case13 workers employed by Members of Congress. 

14 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 15 months after the ef15 fective date specified in subsection (e), the Comptroller 

16 General shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Af17 fairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af18 fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the re19 sults of the review completed under subsection (a). 

20 (d) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEFINED.— 

21 In this section, the term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

22 means any organization recognized by the Secretary for 

23 the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 

24 38, United States Code. 


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1 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

2 on the date that is 270 days after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 212. INCLUSION IN ANNUAL BUDGET SUBMISSION OF 

5 INFORMATION ON CAPACITY OF VETERANS 

6 BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION TO PROCESS 

7 BENEFITS CLAIMS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Along with the supporting infor9 mation included in the budget submitted to Congress by 

10 the President pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, 

11 United States Code, the President shall include informa12 tion on the capacity of the Veterans Benefits Administra13 tion to process claims for benefits under the laws adminis14 tered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, including infor15 mation described in subsection (b), during the fiscal year 

16 covered by the budget with which the information is sub17 mitted. 

18 (b) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The information de19 scribed in this subsection is the following: 

20 (1) An estimate of the average number of 

21 claims for benefits under the laws administered by 

22 the Secretary, excluding such claims completed dur23 ing mandatory overtime, that a single full-time 

24 equivalent employee of the Administration can proc25 ess in a year, based on the following: 


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1 (A) A time and motion study that the Sec2 retary shall conduct on the processing of such 

3 claims. 

4 (B) Such other information relating to 

5 such claims as the Secretary considers appro6 priate. 

7 (2) A description of the actions the Secretary 

8 will take to improve the processing of such claims. 

9 (3) An assessment of the actions identified by 

10 the Secretary under paragraph (2) in the previous 

11 year and an identification of the effects of those ac12 tions. 

13 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 

14 respect to any budget submitted as described in subsection 

15 (a) with respect to any fiscal year after fiscal year 2017. 

16 SEC. 213. REPORT ON STAFFING LEVELS AT REGIONAL OF17 FICES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF18 FAIRS AFTER TRANSITION TO NATIONAL 

19 WORK QUEUE. 

20 Not later than 15 months after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

22 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen23 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

24 of Representatives a report on the criteria and procedures 

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1 ing levels at the regional offices of the Department once 

2 the Department has transitioned to using the National 

3 Work Queue for the distribution of the claims processing 

4 workload. 

5 SEC. 214. ANNUAL REPORT ON PROGRESS IN IMPLE6 MENTING VETERANS BENEFITS MANAGE7 MENT SYSTEM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than each of one year, 

9 two years, and three years after the date of the enactment 

10 of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 

11 to Congress a report on the progress of the Secretary in 

12 implementing the Veterans Benefits Management System. 

13 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report required by subsection 

14 (a) shall include the following: 

15 (1) An assessment of the current functionality 

16 of the Veterans Benefits Management System. 

17 (2) Recommendations submitted to the Sec18 retary by employees of the Department of Veterans 

19 Affairs who are involved in processing claims for 

20 benefits under the laws administered by the Sec21 retary, including veterans service representatives, 

22 rating veterans service representatives, and decision 

23 review officers, for such legislative or administrative 

24 action as the employees consider appropriate to im25 prove the processing of such claims. 


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1 (3) Recommendations submitted to the Sec2 retary by veterans service organizations who use the 

3 Veterans Benefits Management System for such leg4 islative or administrative action as the veterans serv5 ice organizations consider appropriate to improve 

6 such system. 

7 (c) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEFINED.— 

8 In this section, the term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

9 means any organization recognized by the Secretary for 

10 the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 

11 38, United States Code. 

12 SEC. 215. REPORT ON PLANS OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS 

13 AFFAIRS TO REDUCE INVENTORY OF NON14 RATING WORKLOAD. 

15 Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

17 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen18 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

19 of Representatives a report that details the plans of the 

20 Secretary to reduce the inventory of work items listed in 

21 the Monday Morning Workload Report under End Prod22 ucts 130, 137, 173, 290, 400, 600, 607, 690, 930, and 

23 960. 


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1 SEC. 216. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INCREASED TRANS2 PARENCY RELATING TO CLAIMS FOR BENE3 FITS AND APPEALS OF DECISIONS RELATING 

4 TO BENEFITS IN MONDAY MORNING WORK5 LOAD REPORT. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Vet7 erans Affairs should include in each Monday Morning 

8 Workload Report published by the Secretary the following: 

9 (1) With respect to each regional office of the 

10 Department of Veterans Affairs, the following: 

11 (A) The number of fully developed claims 

12 for benefits under the laws administered by the 

13 Secretary that have been received. 

14 (B) The number of claims described in 

15 subparagraph (A) that are pending a decision. 

16 (C) The number of claims described in 

17 subparagraph (A) that have been pending a de18 cision for more than 125 days. 

19 (2) Enhanced information on appeals of deci20 sions relating to claims for benefits under the laws 

21 administered by the Secretary that are pending, in22 cluding information contained in the reports of the 

23 Department entitled ‘‘Appeals Pending’’ and ‘‘Ap24 peals Workload By Station’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—Other Benefits Matters 

2 SEC. 221. MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF 

3 CONTRACT PHYSICIANS FOR DISABILITY EX4 AMINATIONS. 

5 Section 504 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement 

6 Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) 

7 is amended— 

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

9 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 

10 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol11 lowing new subsection (c): 

12 ‘‘(c) LICENSURE OF CONTRACT PHYSICIANS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any law 

14 regarding the licensure of physicians, a physician de15 scribed in paragraph (2) may conduct an examina16 tion pursuant to a contract entered into under sub17 section (a) at any location in any State, the District 

18 of Columbia, or a Commonwealth, territory, or pos19 session of the United States, so long as the examina20 tion is within the scope of the authorized duties 

21 under such contract. 

22 ‘‘(2) PHYSICIAN DESCRIBED.—A physician de23 scribed in this paragraph is a physician who— 

24 ‘‘(A) has a current license to practice the 

25 health care profession of the physician; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) is performing authorized duties for 

2 the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to 

3 a contract entered into under subsection (a).’’. 

4 SEC. 222. DEVELOPMENT OF PROCEDURES TO INCREASE 

5 COOPERATION WITH NATIONAL GUARD BU6 REAU. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

8 and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall jointly 

9 develop and implement procedures, including requirements 

10 relating to timeliness, to improve the timely provision to 

11 the Secretary of such information in the possession of the 

12 Chief as the Secretary requires to process claims sub13 mitted to the Secretary for benefits under the laws admin14 istered by the Secretary. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the im16 plementation of the procedures under subsection (a), the 

17 Secretary and the Chief shall jointly submit to Congress 

18 a report describing— 

19 (1) the requests for information relating to 

20 records of members of the National Guard made by 

21 the Secretary to the Chief pursuant to such proce22 dures; and 

23 (2) the timeliness of the responses of the Chief 

24 to such requests. 


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1 SEC. 223. REVIEW OF DETERMINATION OF CERTAIN SERV2 ICE IN PHILIPPINES DURING WORLD WAR II. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af4 fairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and 

5 such military historians as the Secretary of Defense rec6 ommends, shall review the process used to determine 

7 whether a covered individual served in support of the 

8 Armed Forces of the United States during World War II 

9 in accordance with section 1002(d) of title X of Division 

10 A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

11 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 38 U.S.C. 107 note) for pur12 poses of determining whether such covered individual is 

13 eligible for payments described in such section. 

14 (b) COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—In this section, a cov15 ered individual is any individual who timely submitted a 

16 claim for benefits under subsection (c) of section 1002 of 

17 title X of Division A of the American Recovery and Rein18 vestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 38 U.S.C. 107 

19 note) based on service as described in subsection (d) of 

20 that section. 

21 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

23 Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

24 of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

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1 tion with respect to the review conducted under subsection 

2 (a). 

3 (d) PROHIBITION ON BENEFITS FOR DISQUALIFYING

4 CONDUCT UNDER NEW PROCESS PURSUANT TO RE5 VIEW.—If pursuant to the review conducted under sub6 section (a) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines 

7 to establish a new process for the making of payments 

8 as described in that subsection, the process shall include 

9 mechanisms to ensure that individuals are not treated as 

10 covered individuals for purposes of such payments if such 

11 individuals engaged in any disqualifying conduct during 

12 service described in that subsection, including collabora13 tion with the enemy or criminal conduct. 

14 SEC. 224. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SUBMITTAL OF INFOR15 MATION RELATING TO CLAIMS FOR DISABIL16 ITIES INCURRED OR AGGRAVATED BY MILI17 TARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that 

19 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should submit to Con20 gress information on the covered claims submitted to the 

21 Secretary during each fiscal year, including the informa22 tion specified in subsection (b). 

23 (b) ELEMENTS.—The information specified in this 

24 subsection with respect to each fiscal year is the following: 


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1 (1) The number of covered claims submitted to 

2 or considered by the Secretary during such fiscal 

3 year. 

4 (2) Of the covered claims under paragraph (1), 

5 the number and percentage of such claims— 

6 (A) submitted by each gender; 

7 (B) that were approved, including the 

8 number and percentage of such approved claims 

9 submitted by each gender; and 

10 (C) that were denied, including the number 

11 and percentage of such denied claims submitted 

12 by each gender. 

13 (3) Of the covered claims under paragraph (1) 

14 that were approved, the number and percentage, list15 ed by each gender, of claims assigned to each rating 

16 percentage of disability. 

17 (4) Of the covered claims under paragraph (1) 

18 that were denied— 

19 (A) the three most common reasons given 

20 by the Secretary under section 5104(b)(1) of 

21 title 38, United States Code, for such denials; 

22 and 

23 (B) the number of denials that were based 

24 on the failure of a veteran to report for a med25 ical examination. 


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1 (5) Of the covered claims under paragraph (1) 

2 that were resubmitted to the Secretary after denial 

3 in a previous adjudication— 

4 (A) the number of such claims submitted 

5 to or considered by the Secretary during such 

6 fiscal year; 

7 (B) the number and percentage of such 

8 claims— 

9 (i) submitted by each gender; 

10 (ii) that were approved, including the 

11 number and percentage of such approved 

12 claims submitted by each gender; and 

13 (iii) that were denied, including the 

14 number and percentage of such denied 

15 claims submitted by each gender; 

16 (C) the number and percentage, listed by 

17 each gender, of claims assigned to each rating 

18 percentage of disability; and 

19 (D) of such claims that were again de20 nied— 

21 (i) the three most common reasons 

22 given by the Secretary under section 

23 5104(b)(1) of such title for such denials; 

24 and 


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1 (ii) the number of denials that were 

2 based on the failure of a veteran to report 

3 for a medical examination. 

4 (6) The number of covered claims that, as of 

5 the end of such fiscal year, are pending and, sepa6 rately, the number of such claims on appeal. 

7 (7) The average number of days that covered 

8 claims take to complete beginning on the date on 

9 which the claim is submitted. 

10 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) COVERED CLAIMS.—The term ‘‘covered 

12 claims’’ means claims for disability compensation 

13 submitted to the Secretary based on post-traumatic 

14 stress disorder alleged to have been incurred or ag15 gravated by military sexual trauma. 

16 (2) MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA.—The term 

17 ‘‘military sexual trauma’’ shall have the meaning 

18 specified by the Secretary for purposes of this sec19 tion and shall include ‘‘sexual harassment’’ (as so 

20 specified). 


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1 TITLE III—EDUCATION MATTERS 

2 SEC. 301. RETENTION OF ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL 

3 ASSISTANCE DURING CERTAIN ADDITIONAL 

4 PERIODS OF ACTIVE DUTY. 

5 (a) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE.—Sec6 tion 16131(c)(3)(B)(i) of title 10, United States Code, is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting ‘‘12304, 

8 12304a, or 12304b’’. 

9 (b) EXPIRATION DATE.—Section 16133(b)(4) of 

10 such title is amended by striking ‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘12304, 12304a, or 12304b’’. 

12 SEC. 302. REPORTS ON PROGRESS OF STUDENTS RECEIV13 ING POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 33 of title 38, United 

15 States Code, is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection 3325(c)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

18 after the semicolon; 

19 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

20 paragraph (4); and 

21 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

22 following new paragraph (3): 

23 ‘‘(3) the information received by the Secretary 

24 under section 3326 of this title; and’’; and 


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1 (2) by adding at the end the following new sec2 tion: 

3 ‘‘§ 3326. Report on student progress 

4 ‘‘As a condition on approval under chapter 36 of this 

5 title of a course offered by an educational institution (as 

6 defined in section 3452 of this title), each year, each edu7 cational institution (as so defined) that received a payment 

8 in that year on behalf of an individual entitled to edu9 cational assistance under this chapter shall submit to the 

10 Secretary such information regarding the academic 

11 progress of the individual as the Secretary may require.’’. 

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

13 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 

14 at the end the following new item: 

‘‘3326. Report on student progress.’’. 

15 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

16 this section shall take effect on the date that is one year 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 303. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE REPORT ON LEVEL OF 

19 EDUCATION ATTAINED BY THOSE WHO 

20 TRANSFER ENTITLEMENT TO POST-9/11 EDU21 CATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3325(b)(1) of title 38, 

23 United States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

25 after the semicolon; and 


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1 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub2 paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(D) indicating the highest level of edu4 cation attained by each individual who transfers 

5 a portion of the individual’s entitlement to edu6 cational assistance under section 3319 of this 

7 title; and’’. 

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

9 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one 

10 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 304. REPORTS ON EDUCATIONAL LEVELS ATTAINED 

12 BY CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 

13 FORCES AT TIME OF SEPARATION FROM THE 

14 ARMED FORCES. 

15 (a) ANNUAL REPORTS REQUIRED.—Each Secretary 

16 concerned shall submit to Congress each year a report on 

17 the educational levels attained by members of the Armed 

18 Forces described in subsection (b) under the jurisdiction 

19 of such Secretary who separated from the Armed Forces 

20 during the preceding year. 

21 (b) COVERED MEMBERS.—The members of the 

22 Armed Forces described in this subsection are members 

23 of the Armed Forces who transferred unused education 

24 benefits to family members pursuant to section 3319 of 


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1 title 38, United States Code, while serving as members 

2 of the Armed Forces. 

3 (c) SECRETARY CONCERNED DEFINED.—In this sec4 tion, the term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ has the meaning 

5 given that term in section 101 of title 38, United States 

6 Code. 

7 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

8 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act. 

10 TITLE IV—EMPLOYMENT AND 

11 TRANSITION MATTERS 

12 SEC. 401. REQUIRED COORDINATION BETWEEN DIRECTORS 

13 FOR VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT AND TRAIN14 ING WITH STATE DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR 

15 AND VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4103 of title 38, United 

17 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing new subsection: 

19 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION WITH STATE DEPARTMENTS OF

20 LABOR AND VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Each Director for Vet21 erans’ Employment and Training for a State shall coordi22 nate the Director’s activities under this chapter with the 

23 State department of labor and the State department of 

24 veterans affairs.’’. 


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

2 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one 

3 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 402. REPORT ON JOB FAIRS ATTENDED BY ONE-STOP 

5 CAREER CENTER EMPLOYEES AT WHICH 

6 SUCH EMPLOYEES ENCOUNTER VETERANS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 136(d)(1) of the Work8 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2871(d)(1)) is 

9 amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: 

10 ‘‘The report also shall include information, for the year 

11 preceding the year the report is submitted, on the number 

12 of job fairs attended by One-Stop Career Center employees 

13 at which the employees had contact with a veteran, and 

14 the number of veterans contacted at each such job fair.’’. 

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

16 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one 

17 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 403. REVIEW OF CHALLENGES FACED BY EMPLOYERS 

19 SEEKING TO HIRE VETERANS AND SHARING 

20 OF INFORMATION AMONG FEDERAL AGEN21 CIES THAT SERVE VETERANS. 

22 (a) REVIEW.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, in 

24 consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the 


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1 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct a review 

2 of— 

3 (A) the challenges faced by employers 

4 seeking to hire veterans; and 

5 (B) information sharing among Federal 

6 departments and agencies that serve veterans 

7 and members of the Armed Forces who are sep8 arating from service. 

9 (2) MATTERS REVIEWED.—In conducting the 

10 review required by paragraph (1), the Secretary of 

11 Labor shall examine the following: 

12 (A) The barriers employers face in gaining 

13 information identifying veterans who are seek14 ing jobs. 

15 (B) The extent and quality of information 

16 sharing among Federal departments and agen17 cies that serve veterans and members of the 

18 Armed Forces who are separating from service, 

19 including how the departments and agencies 

20 may more easily connect employers with such 

21 veterans and members. 

22 (b) REPORT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

24 after the effective date specified in subsection (c), 

25 the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the approVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Nov 17, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1203.RFH S1203

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1 priate committees of Congress a report on the review 

2 conducted under subsection (a). 

3 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para4 graph (1) shall include the following: 

5 (A) Recommendations for addressing the 

6 barriers described in subsection (a)(2)(A). 

7 (B) Recommendations for improving infor8 mation sharing described in subsection 

9 (a)(2)(B). 

10 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS

11 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appro12 priate committees of Congress’’ means— 

13 (A) the Committee on Armed Services and 

14 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen15 ate; and 

16 (B) the Committee on Armed Services and 

17 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

18 House of Representatives. 

19 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

20 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act. 

22 SEC. 404. REVIEW OF TRANSITION GPS PROGRAM CORE 

23 CURRICULUM. 

24 (a) REVIEW.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 

2 consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

3 and the Secretary of Labor, shall conduct a review 

4 of the Department of Defense Transition GPS Pro5 gram Core Curriculum in effect on the date of the 

6 enactment of this Act. 

7 (2) MATTERS REVIEWED.—The review shall ex8 amine the following: 

9 (A) The Department of Defense Transition 

10 GPS Program Core Curriculum in effect on the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act. 

12 (B) The roles and responsibilities of each 

13 Federal department participating in the Transi14 tion GPS Program and whether the various 

15 roles and responsibilities of the Federal depart16 ments are adequately aligned with one another. 

17 (C) The allotment of time spent on issues 

18 under the jurisdiction of each Federal depart19 ment participating in the Transition GPS Pro20 gram and whether the allotment is adequate to 

21 provide members of the Armed Forces with all 

22 the information the members need regarding 

23 important benefits that can assist members in 

24 transitioning out of military service. 


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1 (D) Whether any of the information in the 

2 three optional tracks in the Transition GPS 

3 Program Core Curriculum should be addressed 

4 more appropriately in mandatory tracks rather 

5 than optional tracks. 

6 (E) The benefits of and obstacles to estab7 lishing— 

8 (i) a standard implementation plan of 

9 long-term outcome measures for the Tran10 sition GPS Program; and 

11 (ii) a comprehensive system of metrics 

12 for such measures. 

13 (b) REPORT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary 

17 of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Labor, shall 

18 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

19 report on the review conducted under subsection (a). 

20 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para21 graph (1) shall include the following: 

22 (A) Recommendations for improving the 

23 Department of Defense Transition GPS Pro24 gram Core Curriculum in order to more accu25 rately address the needs of members of the 


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1 Armed Forces transitioning out of military 

2 service. 

3 (B) Recommendations for improving the 

4 roles and responsibilities described in subsection 

5 (a)(2)(B). 

6 (C) Recommendations for improving the 

7 allotment of time described in subsection 

8 (a)(2)(C). 

9 (D) Such recommendations as the Sec10 retary of Defense may have regarding the op11 tional and mandatory tracks in the Transition 

12 GPS Program Core Curriculum. 

13 (E) Such recommendations as the Sec14 retary of Defense may have with respect to the 

15 outcome measures and metrics described in sub16 section (a)(2)(E). 

17 (F) Identification of such other areas of 

18 concern as the Secretary of Defense may have 

19 with respect to the Transition GPS Program 

20 and such recommendations for legislative or ad21 ministrative action as the Secretary may have 

22 to address such concerns. 

23 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS

24 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appro25 priate committees of Congress’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Armed Services and 

2 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen3 ate; and 

4 (B) the Committee on Armed Services and 

5 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

6 House of Representatives. 

7 SEC. 405. MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT FOR PROVI8 SION OF PRESEPARATION COUNSELING. 

9 (a) CLARIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT FOR 180 CON10 TINUOUS DAYS OF ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE.—Subpara11 graph (A) of section 1142(a)(4) of title 10, United States 

12 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘continuous’’ before ‘‘180 

13 days’’. 

14 (b) EXCLUSION OF TRAINING FROM PERIODS OF AC15 TIVE DUTY.—Such section is further amended by adding 

16 at the end the following new subparagraph: 

17 ‘‘(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term ‘ac18 tive duty’ does not include full-time training duty, annual 

19 training duty, and attendance, while in the active military 

20 service, at a school designated as a service school by law 

21 or by the Secretary concerned.’’. 


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1 TITLE V—VETERAN SMALL 

2 BUSINESS MATTERS 

3 SEC. 501. MODIFICATION OF TREATMENT UNDER CON4 TRACTING GOALS AND PREFERENCES OF DE5 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR 

6 SMALL BUSINESSES OWNED BY VETERANS OF 

7 SMALL BUSINESSES AFTER DEATH OF DIS8 ABLED VETERAN OWNERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8127(h) of title 38, 

10 United States Code, is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘rated as’’ 

12 and all that follows through ‘‘disability.’’ and insert13 ing a period; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (2), by amending subpara15 graph (C) to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(C) The date that— 

17 ‘‘(i) in the case of a surviving spouse of a 

18 veteran with a service-connected disability rated 

19 as 100 percent disabling or who dies as a result 

20 of a service-connected disability, is 10 years 

21 after the date of the veteran’s death; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a surviving spouse of a 

23 veteran with a service-connected disability rated 

24 as less than 100 percent disabling who does not 

25 die as a result of a service-connected disability, 


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1 is three years after the date of the veteran’s 

2 death.’’. 

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

4 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 180 

5 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 

6 apply with respect to applications received pursuant to 

7 section 8127(f)(2) of title 38, United States Code, that 

8 are verified on or after such date. 

9 SEC. 502. TREATMENT OF BUSINESSES AFTER DEATHS OF 

10 SERVICEMEMBER-OWNERS FOR PURPOSES 

11 OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

12 CONTRACTING GOALS AND PREFERENCES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8127 of title 38, United 

14 States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (l) 

16 as subsections (j) through (m), respectively; and 

17 (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol18 lowing new subsection (i): 

19 ‘‘(i) TREATMENT OF BUSINESSES AFTER DEATH OF

20 SERVICEMEMBER-OWNER.—(1) If a member of the Armed 

21 Forces owns at least 51 percent of a small business con22 cern and such member is killed in line of duty in the active 

23 military, naval, or air service, the surviving spouse or de24 pendent child of such member who acquires such owner25 ship rights in such small business concern shall, for the 


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1 period described in paragraph (2), be treated as if the sur2 viving spouse or dependent child were a veteran with a 

3 service-connected disability for purposes of determining 

4 the status of the small business concern as a small busi5 ness concern owned and controlled by veterans for pur6 poses of contracting goals and preferences under this sec7 tion. 

8 ‘‘(2) The period referred to in paragraph (1) is the 

9 period beginning on the date on which the member of the 

10 Armed Forces dies and ending on the date as follows: 

11 ‘‘(A) In the case of a surviving spouse, the ear12 liest of the following dates: 

13 ‘‘(i) The date on which the surviving 

14 spouse remarries. 

15 ‘‘(ii) The date on which the surviving 

16 spouse relinquishes an ownership interest in the 

17 small business concern and no longer owns at 

18 least 51 percent of such small business concern. 

19 ‘‘(iii) The date that is ten years after the 

20 date of the member’s death. 

21 ‘‘(B) In the case of a dependent child, the ear22 liest of the following dates: 

23 ‘‘(i) The date on which the surviving de24 pendent child relinquishes an ownership interest 

25 in the small business concern and no longer 


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1 owns at least 51 percent of such small business 

2 concern. 

3 ‘‘(ii) The date that is ten years after the 

4 date of the member’s death.’’. 

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (i) of section 

6 8127 of such title, as added by subsection (a), shall take 

7 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 

8 apply with respect to the deaths of members of the Armed 

9 Forces occurring on or after such date. 

10 TITLE VI—BURIAL MATTERS 

11 SEC. 601. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS STUDY ON 

12 MATTERS RELATING TO BURIAL OF UN13 CLAIMED REMAINS OF VETERANS IN NA14 TIONAL CEMETERIES. 

15 (a) STUDY AND REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 

16 one year after the effective date specified in subsection (d), 

17 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— 

18 (1) complete a study on matters relating to the 

19 interring of unclaimed remains of veterans in na20 tional cemeteries under the control of the National 

21 Cemetery Administration; and 

22 (2) submit to Congress a report on the findings 

23 of the Secretary with respect to the study required 

24 under paragraph (1). 


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1 (b) MATTERS STUDIED.—The matters studied under 

2 subsection (a)(1) shall include the following: 

3 (1) Determining the scope of issues relating to 

4 unclaimed remains of veterans, including an esti5 mate of the number of unclaimed remains of vet6 erans. 

7 (2) Assessing the effectiveness of the proce8 dures of the Department of Veterans Affairs for 

9 working with persons or entities having custody of 

10 unclaimed remains to facilitate interment of un11 claimed remains of veterans in national cemeteries 

12 under the control of the National Cemetery Adminis13 tration. 

14 (3) Assessing State and local laws that affect 

15 the ability of the Secretary to inter unclaimed re16 mains of veterans in national cemeteries under the 

17 control of the National Cemetery Administration. 

18 (4) Developing recommendations for such legis19 lative or administrative action as the Secretary con20 siders appropriate. 

21 (c) METHODOLOGY.— 

22 (1) NUMBER OF UNCLAIMED REMAINS.—In es23 timating the number of unclaimed remains of vet24 erans under subsection (b)(1), the Secretary may re25 view such subset of applicable entities as the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Nov 17, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1203.RFH S1203

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1 retary considers appropriate, including a subset of 

2 funeral homes and coroner offices that possess un3 claimed veterans remains. 

4 (2) ASSESSMENT OF STATE AND LOCAL

5 LAWS.—In assessing State and local laws under sub6 section (b)(3), the Secretary may assess such sample 

7 of applicable State and local laws as the Secretary 

8 considers appropriate in lieu of reviewing all applica9 ble State and local laws. 

10 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

11 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act. 

13 TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

14 SEC. 701. HONORING AS VETERANS CERTAIN PERSONS 

15 WHO PERFORMED SERVICE IN THE RESERVE 

16 COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

17 Any person who is entitled under chapter 1223 of 

18 title 10, United States Code, to retired pay for nonregular 

19 service or, but for age, would be entitled under such chap20 ter to retired pay for nonregular service shall be honored 

21 as a veteran but shall not be entitled to any benefit by 

22 reason of this honor. 


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1 SEC. 702. REPORT ON LAOTIAN MILITARY SUPPORT OF 

2 ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES 

3 DURING VIETNAM WAR. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

5 effective date specified in subsection (c), the Secretary of 

6 Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of De7 fense and such agencies and individuals as the Secretary 

8 of Veterans Affairs considers appropriate, shall submit to 

9 the appropriate committees of Congress a report on— 

10 (1) the extent to which Laotian military forces 

11 provided combat support to the Armed Forces of the 

12 United States between February 28, 1961, and May 

13 15, 1975; 

14 (2) whether the current classification by the Ci15 vilian/Military Service Review Board of the Depart16 ment of Defense of service by individuals of Hmong 

17 ethnicity is appropriate; and 

18 (3) such recommendations as the Secretary of 

19 Veterans Affairs may have for legislative action. 

20 (b) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.—In 

21 this section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con22 gress’’ means— 

23 (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 

24 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and 


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1 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 

2 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

3 Representatives. 

4 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

5 on the date that is one year after the date of the enact6 ment of this Act. 

7 SEC. 703. RESTORATION OF PRIOR REPORTING FEE MULTI8 PLIERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—During the 10-year period begin10 ning on September 26, 2015, the second sentence of sub11 section (c) of section 3684 of title 38, United States Code, 

12 shall be applied— 

13 (1) by substituting ‘‘$8’’ for ‘‘$12’’; and 

14 (2) by substituting ‘‘$12’’ for ‘‘$15’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 406 of the 

16 Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act 

17 of 2014 (Public Law 113–175; 38 U.S.C. 3684 note), as 

18 amended by section 410 of the Department of Veterans 

19 Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015 (Public Law 

20 114–58), is hereby repealed. 

Passed the Senate November 10, 2015. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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