H. R. 4183 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty 

An Act 

To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on 

disability and pension benefits provided to members of the National Guard and 

members of reserve components of the Armed Forces by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Identifying Barriers and Best 

Practices Study Act’’. 

SEC. 2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON DISABILITY AND PENSION 

BENEFITS PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL 

GUARD AND MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE 

ARMED FORCES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 36 months after the date 

of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

States shall complete a study on disability and pension benefits 

provided to members of the National Guard and members of reserve 

components of the Armed Forces by the Department of Veterans 

Affairs. In conducting such study, the Comptroller General shall 

review, for the period beginning on January 1, 2008, and ending 

on December 31, 2018, each of the following: 

(1) The number of members of the National Guard and 

the number of members of reserve components of the Armed 

Forces who received disability compensation or pension provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

(2) A comparison of each of the following between veterans 

who served only in the National Guard or reserve components 

and veterans who served in the regular components of the 

Armed Forces: 

(A) The percentage of each group of such veterans 

with service-connected disabilities. 

(B) The number of veterans in each group with each 

disability rating. 

(C) The number of veterans in each group with a 

service-connected disability, including the number of each 

of the following types of such veterans in each group: 

(i) Pilots. 

(ii) Veterans who served in the special forces. 

(iii) Veterans who participated in the Personnel 

Reliability Program. 
H. R. 4183—2 

(iv) Veterans who underwent diving or flight 

physicals as a regular component of their service in 

the Armed Forces and who have a muscular-skeletal 

or mental health condition. 

(D) The number of total claims for disability compensation and pension submitted, approved, and disapproved 

for each group of veterans. 

(3) An identification of common barriers for members of 

the National Guard and members of reserve components in 

obtaining disability benefits under the laws administered by 

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, including barriers relating 

to documentation of injuries incurred while serving, such as 

line of duty letters. 

(b) REPORTS.— 

(1) PRELIMINARY REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

Senate and House of Representatives a preliminary report on 

the findings of the study required by subsection (a). 

(2) FINAL REPORT.—Upon completion of the study, the 

Comptroller General shall submit to such Committees a final 

report on such study. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.