IB 
Union Calendar No. 802 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2683 
[Report No. 115–1025] 
To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to delay the inclusion in consumer 
credit reports and to establish requirements for debt collectors with 
respect to medical debt information of veterans due to inappropriate 
or delayed billing payments or reimbursements from the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2017 
Mr. DELANEY (for himself, Mr. HULTGREN, Ms. SINEMA, Mrs. WALORSKI, 
Mr. ROUZER, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. YOUNG of Alas-
ka, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. JONES, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. RUSH, Mr. BISHOP 
of Georgia, Mr. HIMES, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, 
Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. COURTNEY, and Mr. HASTINGS) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services 
NOVEMBER 14, 2018 
Additional sponsors: Mr. POLIS, Mr. COFFMAN, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. 
ARRINGTON, Mr. CRIST, Mr. POLIQUIN, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 
New York, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. BARR, Mr. MACARTHUR, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. 
STIVERS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. MESSER, and Ms. TENNEY 
NOVEMBER 14, 2018 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 25, 2017] 
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A BILL 
To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to delay the inclu-
sion in consumer credit reports and to establish require-
ments for debt collectors with respect to medical debt 
information of veterans due to inappropriate or delayed 
billing payments or reimbursements from the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Veterans 
Credit Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to rectify problematic report-
ing of medical debt included in a consumer report of a vet-
eran due to inappropriate or delayed payment for hospital 
care, medical services, or extended care services provided in 
a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility under the 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT. 
(a) VETERAN’S MEDICAL DEBT DEFINED.—Section 
603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(z) VETERAN.—The term ‘veteran’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code. 
‘‘(aa) VETERAN’S MEDICAL DEBT.—The term ‘vet-
eran’s medical debt’— 
‘‘(1) means a medical collection debt of a veteran 
owed to an eligible non-Department of Veterans Af-
fairs health care provider that was submitted to the 
Department for payment for health care authorized 
by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
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‘‘(2) includes medical collection debt that the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs has wrongfully charged 
a veteran.’’. 
(b) EXCLUSION FOR VETERAN’S MEDICAL DEBT.— 
Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 
1681c(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) Any information related to a veteran’s med-
ical debt if the date on which the hospital care, med-
ical services, or extended care services was rendered 
relating to the debt antedates the report by less than 
one year if the consumer reporting agency has actual 
knowledge that the information is related to a vet-
eran’s medical debt and the consumer reporting agen-
cy is in compliance with its obligation under section 
4(e) of the Protecting Veterans Credit Act of 2018. 
‘‘(8) Any information related to a fully paid or 
settled veteran’s medical debt that had been character-
ized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection if the 
consumer reporting agency has actual knowledge that 
the information is related to a veteran’s medical debt 
and the consumer reporting agency is in compliance 
with its obligation under section 4(e) of the Protecting 
Veterans Credit Act of 2018.’’. 
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(c) UPDATE
TO
SUMMARY
OF
RIGHTS.—Section 
609(c)(1)(B) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 
1681g(c)(1)(B)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) in clause (vi), by striking the period and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vii) the right of a veteran to dispute 
the inclusion of veteran’s medical debt 
under section 611.’’. 
(d) REMOVAL OF VETERAN’S MEDICAL DEBT FROM 
CONSUMER REPORT.—Section 611 of the Fair Credit Re-
porting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681i) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘and ex-
cept as provided in subsection (g)’’ after ‘‘subsection 
(f)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) DISPUTE PROCESS
FOR VETERAN’S MEDICAL 
DEBT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a veteran’s 
medical debt, the veteran may submit a notice de-
scribed in paragraph (2), proof of liability of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs for payment of that 
debt, or documentation that the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs is in the process of making payment for 
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authorized hospital care, medical services, or extended 
care services rendered to a consumer reporting agency 
or a reseller to dispute the inclusion of that debt on 
a consumer report of the veteran. 
‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION TO VETERAN.—The Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs shall submit to a veteran, 
not later than 30 days after the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs assumes such liability, a written notice 
that the Department of Veterans Affairs has assumed 
liability for part or all of a veteran’s medical debt. 
‘‘(3) DELETION OF INFORMATION FROM FILE.— 
If a consumer reporting agency receives notice, proof 
of liability, or documentation under paragraph (1), 
the consumer reporting agency, not later than 30 
days after receipt, and free of charge to the veteran, 
shall delete all information relating to the veteran’s 
medical debt from the file of the veteran and notify 
the furnisher and the veteran of that deletion.’’. 
SEC. 4. VERIFICATION OF VETERAN’S MEDICAL DEBT. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘consumer reporting agency’’ means 
a consumer reporting agency described in section 
603(p) or 603(x) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 
U.S.C. 1681a); and 
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(2) the terms ‘‘veteran’’ and ‘‘veteran’s medical 
debt’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 
603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 
1681a), as added by section 3(a) of this Act. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall establish a database to allow consumer report-
ing agencies to verify whether a debt furnished to a con-
sumer reporting agency is a veteran’s medical debt. 
(c) DATABASE FEATURES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall ensure that the database established under 
subsection (b), to the extent permitted by law, pro-
vides consumer reporting agencies with— 
(A) sufficiently detailed and specific infor-
mation to verify whether a debt being furnished 
to the consumer reporting agency is a veteran’s 
medical debt; 
(B) access to verification information in a 
secure electronic format; 
(C) timely access to verification informa-
tion; and 
(D) any other features that would promote 
the efficient, timely, and secure delivery of infor-
mation that consumer reporting agencies could 
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use to verify whether a debt is a veteran’s med-
ical debt. 
(2) SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that, in maintaining and allowing 
access to the database established under subsection (b), 
the security and confidentiality of nonpublic personal 
information is maintained. 
(d) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—Prior to establishing the 
database for verification under subsection (b), the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall publish in the Federal Register a 
notice and request for comment that solicits input from the 
public. 
(e) VERIFICATION.—Provided the database established 
under subsection (b) is fully functional and the data avail-
able to consumer reporting agencies, a consumer reporting 
agency shall use the database as a means to identify a vet-
eran’s medical debt pursuant to paragraphs (7) and (8) of 
section 605(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 
1681c(a)), as added by section (3)(b) of this Act. 
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on 
the date that is one year after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
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Union Calendar No. 802 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2683 
[Report No. 115–1025] 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to delay 
the inclusion in consumer credit reports and to 
establish requirements for debt collectors with re-
spect to medical debt information of veterans due 
to inappropriate or delayed billing payments or 
reimbursements from the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
NOVEMBER 14, 2018 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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