II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2513 

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

review process of the Department of Veterans Affairs for clothing allowance claims submitted by veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2021 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Mr. BOOZMAN) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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

application and review process of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs for clothing allowance claims submitted 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Brian Neuman Depart5 ment of Veterans Affairs Clothing Allowance Improvement 

6 Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO PROCESS OF THE DEPART2 MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR CLOTHING 

3 ALLOWANCE CLAIMS. 

4 (a) PROCESS FOR CLOTHING ALLOWANCE CLAIMS.— 

5 Section 1162 of title 38, United States Code, is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary under’’ and in8 serting: 

9 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary, 

10 under’’; 

11 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘which (A) a physician’’ 

13 and inserting: ‘‘which—’’ 

14 ‘‘(A) a physician’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘, and (B) the Secretary’’ 

16 and inserting the following: ‘‘; and 

17 ‘‘(B) the Secretary’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub19 sections: 

20 ‘‘(b) CONTINUOUS NATURE OF PAYMENTS.—Pay21 ments made to a veteran under subsection (a) shall con22 tinue on an automatically recurring annual basis until the 

23 earlier of the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) The date on which the veteran elects to no 

25 longer receive such payments. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The date on which the Secretary deter2 mines the veteran is no longer eligible pursuant to 

3 subsection (d). 

4 ‘‘(c) REVIEWS OF CLAIM.—(1) Except as provided in 

5 paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary shall conduct reviews of 

6 a claim on which a clothing allowance for a veteran is 

7 based to determine the continued eligibility of the veteran 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘(A) Beginning not earlier than five years after 

10 the date on which the veteran initially receives a 

11 clothing allowance under this section and on a peri12 odic basis thereafter. 

13 ‘‘(B) Whenever the Secretary receives notice 

14 that the veteran no longer meets the requirements 

15 specified in subsection (a). 

16 ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall prescribe in regulations 

17 standards for determining whether a claim for clothing al18 lowance is based on a circumstance that is not subject to 

19 change. 

20 ‘‘(B) If the Secretary determines, pursuant to stand21 ards prescribed under subparagraph (A), that a claim for 

22 clothing allowance is based on a circumstance that is not 

23 subject to change, paragraph (1)(A) shall not apply with 

24 respect to the claim. 


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1 ‘‘(d) DETERMINATION REGARDING CONTINUED ELI2 GIBILITY.—If the Secretary determines, as the result of 

3 a review of a claim conducted under subsection (c)(1), that 

4 the veteran who submitted such claim no longer meets the 

5 requirements specified in subsection (a), the Secretary 

6 shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) provide to the veteran notice of such deter8 mination that includes a description of applicable ac9 tions that may be taken following the determination, 

10 including the actions specified in section 5104C of 

11 this title; and 

12 ‘‘(2) discontinue the clothing allowance based 

13 on such claim.’’. 

14 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub15 section (a) shall apply with respect to— 

16 (1) claims for clothing allowance submitted on 

17 or after the date of the enactment of this Act; and 

18 (2) claims for clothing allowance submitted 

19 prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, if the 

20 veteran who submitted such claim is in receipt of the 

21 clothing allowance as of the date of the enactment 

22 of this Act. 

Æ 


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