I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7273 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a tiger team dedi-
cated to addressing the difficulties encountered by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 38, United States 
Code, after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry W. 
Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 12, 2018 
Mr. BARR (for himself and Ms. GABBARD) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish 
a tiger team dedicated to addressing the difficulties en-
countered by the Department of Veterans Affairs in car-
rying out section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, 
after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of the 
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act 
of 2017. 
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 ‘‘Forever GI Bill Hous-
ing Payment Fulfillment Act of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) On August 16, 2017, the Harry W. Colmery 
Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Pub-
lic Law 115–48) (known by some as the ‘‘Forever 
GI Bill’’) was enacted into law. 
(2) Such Act makes certain improvements to 
the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program for 
veterans, including improvements relating to how the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs calculates the amount 
of payments for monthly housing stipends under 
that program. 
(3) Section 107 of such Act (Public Law 115– 
48; 33 U.S.C. 3313 note) requires the Secretary to 
calculate the amount of payments for monthly hous-
ing stipends based on the location of the campus of 
the institution of higher learning where the indi-
vidual attends classes, a change from the previous 
direction to make such calculation based on the loca-
tion of the institution of higher learning. 
(4) Section 501 of such Act (Public Law 115– 
48; 37 U.S.C. 403 note) repeals the inapplicability 
of a modification of the basic allowance for housing 
for members of the uniformed services to benefits 
administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
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(5) The amendments made by section 107 and 
501 of such Act became effective on August 1, 2018, 
and January 1, 2018, respectively. 
(6) Representatives of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs have stated that the Department will 
not be able to determine proper payment amounts 
based on the amendment made by section 107 of 
such Act until December 1, 2019. 
(7) Representatives of the Department have 
also stated that outdated information technology 
systems have stymied efforts to update necessary in-
formation that enable proper housing payments as 
required by the provisions of law amended by sec-
tions 107 and 501 of such Act. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) as soon as possible, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs should end the making of improper 
payment amounts for monthly stipends under sec-
tion 3313 of title 38, United States Code; 
(2) by January 1, 2020, the Secretary should 
make whole the individuals entitled to payments of 
monthly stipends under section 3313 of title 38, 
United States Code, who have been underpaid as a 
result of the difficulties encountered by the Depart-
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ment of Veterans Affairs in carrying out such sec-
tion after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of 
the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assist-
ance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48); and 
(3) no individuals entitled to payments of 
monthly stipend under section 3313 of title 38, 
United States Code, who have been overpaid as a re-
sult of the difficulties encountered by the Depart-
ment in carrying out such section after the enact-
ment of sections 107 and 501 of such Act should 
have overpayments recuperated by the Department. 
SEC. 3. TIGER TEAM FOR HOUSING STIPENDS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one day after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall establish a tiger team (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘‘Tiger Team’’) dedicated to ad-
dressing the difficulties encountered by the Department 
of Veterans Affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 
38, United States Code, after the enactment of sections 
107 and 501 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Edu-
cational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 
U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note). 
(b) COMPOSITION.—Not later than 15 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to Congress the names and titles of the employees of 
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the Department who compose the Tiger Team established 
under subsection (a), including the name and title of the 
senior-level employee of the Department who serves as the 
lead accountable official of the Tiger Team. 
(c) DUTIES.— 
(1) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Tiger Team shall submit to Congress the fol-
lowing: 
(A) A plan describing the following: 
(i) How the Secretary will obtain the 
information necessary to determine the 
correct payment amounts for monthly sti-
pends under section 3313 of title 38, 
United States Code, made after the enact-
ment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry 
W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assist-
ance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 
U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 
note), from officials responsible for the cer-
tification of payments of monthly stipends 
made under section 3313 of such title. 
(ii) How the Secretary will modify the 
relevant information technology systems of 
the Department to correct the payment 
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amounts for monthly stipends under sec-
tion 3313 of such title made after the en-
actment of sections 107 and 501 of such 
Act (Public Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 
note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note) that were 
deficient. 
(iii) How the Secretary will identify 
all of the individuals who received pay-
ments of monthly stipends under section 
3313 of such title that were not in compli-
ance with such section, after the enactment 
of sections 107 and 501 of such Act (Pub-
lic Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 note and 
37 U.S.C. 403 note). 
(iv) How the Secretary will notify the 
individuals described in clause (iii). 
(v) The procedures the Secretary will 
use to correct the payments of monthly sti-
pends under section 3313 of such title that 
were deficient as a result of the difficulties 
encountered by the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs in carrying out such section 
after the enactment of sections 107 and 
501 of such Act (Public Law 115–48; 38 
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U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 
note). 
(B) A complete timeline for the implemen-
tation of the plan described in subparagraph 
(A). 
(C) Any additional funding and personnel 
requirements necessary to support the imple-
mentation of the plan described in subpara-
graph (A), including any such requirements as 
may be necessary for staffing increases or rel-
evant improvements to the information tech-
nology infrastructure of the Department. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall im-
plement the plan submitted under paragraph 
(1)(A). 
(B) PERIODIC
UPDATES.—Not less fre-
quently than once every 90 days after submis-
sion of the items under paragraph (1), the 
Tiger Team shall submit to Congress an update 
on the implementation of the plan described in 
subparagraph (A) of such paragraph. 
(3) FINAL REPORT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 
2020, the Tiger Team shall submit to the ap-
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propriate congressional committees a final re-
port on the activities and findings of the Tiger 
Team. 
(B) CONTENTS.—The report required by 
subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 
(i) The number of individuals who 
were affected by payments of monthly sti-
pends under section 3313 of title 38, 
United States Code, that were not in com-
pliance with such section after the enact-
ment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry 
W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assist-
ance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 
U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 
note). 
(ii) The number of individuals de-
scribed in clause (i) who received deficient 
payments as a result of the difficulties en-
countered by the Department in carrying 
out section 3313 of such title after the en-
actment of sections 107 and 501 of such 
Act (Public Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 
note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note), and the 
total amount of the deficiency for each in-
dividual, disaggregated by State. 
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(iii) The number of individuals de-
scribed in clause (ii) who have not received 
the amount of monthly stipend to which 
such individuals are entitled under section 
3313 of such title and an explanation of 
why such individuals have not received 
such amounts. 
(iv) A certification of whether the De-
partment is fully compliant with sections 
107 and 501 of such Act (Public Law 
115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 
U.S.C. 403 note). 
(C) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COM-
MITTEES
DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 
means the following: 
(i) The Subcommittee on Military 
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies of the Committee on Ap-
propriations and the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the Senate. 
(ii) The Subcommittee on Military 
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and 
Related Agencies of the Committee on Ap-
propriations and the Committee on Vet-
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erans’ Affairs of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(d) TERMINATION.—On the date that is 60 days after 
the date on which the Tiger Team submits the final report 
required by subsection (c)(3), the Secretary shall termi-
nate the Tiger Team established under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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