II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1530 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 

Received 

AN ACT 

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

requirement to publish disability benefit questionnaire 

forms of Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Benefits Im3 provement Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLICATION OF DEPARTMENT 

5 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DISABILITY BENEFIT 

6 QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS. 

7 Section 5101 of title 38, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (d)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, 

11 including (except as provided in paragraph 

12 (4)(A)) all disability benefit questionnaire forms 

13 available to personnel of the Veterans Health 

14 Administration and covered non-Department 

15 providers for the completion of examinations 

16 with respect to medical disability of applicants 

17 for benefits under laws administered by the 

18 Secretary’’ before the semicolon; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

20 paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(4)(A) The Secretary may exclude from publication 

22 under clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (1)(A) any form 

23 described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that the 

24 Secretary determines could not reasonably be completed 

25 to a clinically acceptable standard by someone not an em26 ployee or a contractor of the Department. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A form described in this subparagraph is a form 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(i) was available or in use at any time after 

4 the date of the enactment of the Veterans Benefits 

5 Act of 2023; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) has not been published under paragraph 

7 (1). 

8 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall include on the same internet 

9 website as the website on which forms are published under 

10 paragraph (1)(A) a list of forms that have been excluded 

11 from publication pursuant to subparagraph (A), and for 

12 each such form, a justification for the exclusion of the 

13 form from publication.’’; and 

14 (2) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the 

15 following new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(3) The term ‘covered non-Department pro17 vider’ means a medical provider who is not an em18 ployee of the Department and who provides exami19 nations with respect to medical disability of appli20 cants for benefits under laws administered by the 

21 Secretary pursuant to a contract with the Depart22 ment.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF PROVISION OF MEDICAL DIS2 ABILITY EXAMINATIONS BY CONTRACTORS. 

3 (a) REPORT ON IMPROVING REIMBURSEMENT FOR

4 TRAVEL RELATING TO MEDICAL DISABILITY EXAMINA5 TIONS.—Not later than one year after the date of the en6 actment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

7 after consulting with the Secretary of State and the Com8 missioner of the Social Security Administration, shall sub9 mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 

10 and the House of Representatives a report on the efforts 

11 of the Secretary to reimburse veterans for expenses in12 curred traveling to a facility of the Department or of a 

13 covered non-Department provider incident to an examina14 tion with respect to the medical disability of the veteran 

15 for purposes of benefits under the laws administered by 

16 the Secretary, regardless of whether the facility is located 

17 inside or outside the United States. 

18 (b) COMMUNICATION BY NON-DEPARTMENT PRO19 VIDERS PROVIDING MEDICAL DISABILITY EXAMINATIONS

20 WITH INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS DESIGNATED

21 FOR PREPARATION, PRESENTATION, AND PROSECUTION

22 OF CLAIMS.—Any contract entered into by the Secretary 

23 of Veterans Affairs after the date of the enactment of this 

24 Act under which a covered non-Department provider 

25 agrees to provide examinations with respect to medical dis26 ability for applicants for benefits under the laws adminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:40 Jan 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1530.RDS H1530

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1 tered by the Secretary, shall include a requirement that 

2 every communication from the covered non-Department 

3 provider to such an applicant regarding the scheduling of 

4 a covered medical disability examination be contempora5 neously transmitted to any person or organization— 

6 (1) designated by the applicant by a power of 

7 attorney filed with the Secretary; and 

8 (2) recognized under sections 5902, 5903, and 

9 5904 of title 38, United States Code, for the prepa10 ration, presentation, and prosecution of claims. 

11 (c) DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTREACH

12 REGARDING CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CONTRACTORS

13 PROVIDING COVERED MEDICAL DISABILITY EXAMINA14 TIONS.—Not later than 120 days after the date of enact15 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 

16 partnership with veterans service organizations and such 

17 other stakeholders as the Secretary considers relevant and 

18 appropriate, shall implement an outreach program to pro19 vide veterans with the following information: 

20 (1) Contact information for covered non-De21 partment providers that provide examinations with 

22 respect to medical disability of applicants for bene23 fits under laws administered by the Secretary, in24 cluding the telephone numbers such providers may 

25 use to contact veterans. 


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1 (2) Notice of the requirement for a veteran to 

2 provide personally identifiable information to such a 

3 provider when contacted in order to verify the iden4 tity of the veteran. 

5 (d) COVERED NON-DEPARTMENT PROVIDER.—In 

6 this section, the term ‘‘covered non-Department provider’’ 

7 means a medical provider who is not an employee of the 

8 Department of Veterans Affairs and who provides exami9 nations with respect to medical disability of applicants for 

10 benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of Vet11 erans Affairs pursuant to a contract with the Department. 

12 SEC. 4. REPORT ON SUPPORTING GOVERNMENTAL VET13 ERANS SERVICE OFFICERS WHO PREPARE, 

14 PRESENT, AND PROSECUTE BENEFITS 

15 CLAIMS BEFORE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

16 AFFAIRS. 

17 (a) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act and after consulting veterans 

19 service organizations and such other stakeholders as the 

20 Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers relevant and ap21 propriate, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

22 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Rep23 resentatives a report on improving the support by the De24 partment of Veterans Affairs of covered governmental vet25 erans service officers. 


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1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report submitted under sub2 section (a) shall include the following: 

3 (1) An assessment of the feasibility, advis4 ability, and current technical limitations of providing 

5 covered governmental veterans service officers en6 hanced access to certain Department systems to bet7 ter serve veterans those governmental service officers 

8 may not have authorization to represent. 

9 (2) An assessment as to whether the Depart10 ment would benefit from the establishment or des11 ignation of an office or working group within the 

12 Department to serve as an intergovernmental liaison 

13 between the Department and governmental veterans 

14 service officers. 

15 (3) Any other recommendations to improve how 

16 the Department monitors, coordinates with, or pro17 vides support to covered governmental veterans serv18 ice officers. 

19 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) The term ‘‘covered governmental veterans 

21 service officer’’ means an employee of a State, coun22 ty, municipal, or Tribal government— 

23 (A) who is recognized by the Secretary of 

24 Veterans Affairs as a representative of a vetVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:40 Jan 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1530.RDS H1530

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1 erans service organization to serve as a veterans 

2 service officer; and 

3 (B) whose primary responsibilities include 

4 preparing, presenting, and prosecuting before 

5 the Department of Veterans Affairs claims for 

6 benefits under laws administered by the Sec7 retary. 

8 (2) The term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

9 means an organization recognized by the Secretary 

10 for the representation of veterans under section 

11 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 

12 SEC. 5. BOARD OF VETERANS’ APPEALS INTERNSHIP PRO13 GRAM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 71 of title 38, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing new section: 

17 ‘‘§ 7114. Internship program 

18 ‘‘The Secretary shall establish a competitive intern19 ship program of the Board for individuals enrolled in the 

20 first or second year of law schools accredited by the Amer21 ican Bar Association.’’. 

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

23 at the beginning of chapter 71 of such title is amended 

24 by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘7114. Internship program.’’. 


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1 (c) DEADLINE.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

2 shall establish the internship program required by section 

3 7114 of such title, as added by subsection (a), not later 

4 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

5 SEC. 6. BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS IN CERTAIN PRO6 GRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

7 AFFAIRS. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one year after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

10 Veterans Affairs shall carry out a program to furnish cer11 tain benefits to covered participants. 

12 (b) BENEFITS: STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT; REIM13 BURSEMENTS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to an agreement 

15 under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall provide to 

16 each covered attorney— 

17 (A) student loan repayment benefits under 

18 section 5379 of title 5, United States Code, in 

19 the case of a covered attorney who is eligible for 

20 such benefits; and 

21 (B) reimbursement for the cost of— 

22 (i) enrollment in a course designed to 

23 prepare an individual for licensure to prac24 tice law in a State; 


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1 (ii) sitting for a bar examination in a 

2 State; and 

3 (iii) annual dues required to maintain 

4 membership in the bar of any State. 

5 (2) AGREEMENT.—The Secretary shall enter 

6 into an agreement with a covered attorney who will 

7 receive benefits under paragraph (1). Each such 

8 agreement shall specify that— 

9 (A) the covered attorney agrees to remain 

10 in the service of the Department for a period of 

11 not less than three years, unless involuntarily 

12 separated; and 

13 (B) if separated involuntarily on account 

14 of misconduct, or voluntarily, before the end of 

15 the period specified in the agreement, the cov16 ered attorney shall repay to the United States 

17 the amount of any benefits received by the cov18 ered participant under paragraph (1). 

19 (c) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.— 

20 (1) MENTORSHIP.—Not later than 90 days 

21 after the date on which an individual becomes a cov22 ered participant, the Secretary shall assign the cov23 ered participant a mentor who is an employee of the 

24 Department who is— 


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1 (A) to the extent practicable, a managerial 

2 employee; and 

3 (B) outside the participant’s chain of com4 mand. 

5 (2) ASSIGNMENTS.—At the election of a cov6 ered participant who has completed at least two 

7 years of service to the Department, the Secretary 

8 shall assign such covered participant to: 

9 (A) The Office of General Counsel, in a 

10 position— 

11 (i) that includes full-time legal respon12 sibilities in order to further the profes13 sional development of the covered partici14 pant; and 

15 (ii) for a period of not less than 120 

16 days and not more than 180 days, or 

17 longer at the discretion of the Secretary. 

18 (B) In the case of a covered participant 

19 who has already held a position described in 

20 subparagraph (A), an assignment described in 

21 clauses (i) and (ii) of such subparagraph with 

22 the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. 

23 (3) OTHER ROTATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS.—The 

24 Secretary may provide a covered participant one or 

25 more other short-term rotational assignments. Such 


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1 an assignment shall be for a period of not less than 

2 30 days and not more than 180 days, at the discre3 tion of the Secretary. 

4 (d) PERIODIC REPORTS.— 

5 (1) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than three 

6 years after the date on which the Secretary begins 

7 to carry out the program under this section, and not 

8 less frequently than once every three years there9 after, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

10 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com11 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep12 resentatives regarding such program. 

13 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted under 

14 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 

15 (A) Costs to the United States to provide 

16 benefits under subsection (b). 

17 (B) The rates of retention of covered par18 ticipants compared to other employees of the 

19 Department. 

20 (C) Recommendations of the Secretary re21 garding legislative or administrative action to 

22 improve such program. 

23 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) The term ‘‘covered attorney’’ means an in25 dividual who— 


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1 (A) is a covered participant; 

2 (B) has graduated from a law school ac3 credited by the American Bar Association; and 

4 (C) is a member in good standing of the 

5 bar of a State. 

6 (2) The term ‘‘covered participant’’ means an 

7 individual who participates in— 

8 (A) the Honors Attorney Program (or suc9 cessor program) of the Office of General Coun10 sel of the Department of Veterans Affairs; or 

11 (B) the Law Clerk Program (or successor 

12 program) of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. 

13 (3) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 

14 such term in section 101 of title 38, United States 

15 Code. 

16 SEC. 7. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM NUMBER OF JUDGES AP17 POINTED TO UNITED STATES COURT OF AP18 PEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS. 

19 Section 7253(a) of title 38, United States Code, is 

20 amended by striking ‘‘seven’’ and inserting ‘‘nine’’. 

21 SEC. 8. REPORT ON IMPROVING ACCESS TO BOARD OF VET22 ERANS’ APPEALS TELEHEARINGS. 

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

24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet25 erans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 


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1 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af2 fairs of the House of Representatives a report on improv3 ing access to hearings before the Board of Veterans’ Ap4 peals held by picture and voice transmission. 

5 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 

6 (a) shall include the following: 

7 (1) Recommendations on the feasibility and ad8 visability of reimbursing veterans for expenses in9 curred for travel from the home of a veteran to the 

10 location at which a hearing before the Board of Vet11 erans’ Appeals is held by picture and voice trans12 mission, if the Secretary determines that travel to 

13 such location is reasonably necessary for such a 

14 hearing. 

15 (2) Recommendations on establishment of pilot 

16 programs to assess the feasibility and advisability of 

17 using other methods that could improve veteran ac18 cess to hearings before the Board of Veterans’ Ap19 peals held by picture and voice transmission from a 

20 veteran’s home. 

21 (3) Such other recommendations to improve ac22 cess to hearings before the Board of Veterans’ ApVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:40 Jan 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1530.RDS H1530

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1 peals held by picture and voice transmission as the 

2 Secretary may receive from stakeholders. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 20, 

2023. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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