I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6231 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the 
feasibility and advisability of establishing a pilot program to support 
medical residency and fellowship programs that assist veterans, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 9, 2021 
Mr. NEGUSE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct 
a study on the feasibility and advisability of establishing 
a pilot program to support medical residency and fellow-
ship programs that assist veterans, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Veterans Pro Bono 
Corps Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. STUDY ON POTENTIAL PILOT PROGRAM TO SUP-
PORT MEDICAL RESIDENCY AND FELLOW-
SHIP PROGRAMS THAT ASSIST VETERANS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the Sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the COVID–19 pandemic and other factors 
have contributed to a growing backlog of veterans 
needing medical disability examinations and opin-
ions; 
(2) access to medical disability examinations 
and opinions is critical for veterans to receive dis-
ability compensation benefits from the Department 
of Veterans Affairs; 
(3) there remains a need to train non-Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs clinicians to understand 
and support the unique medical needs of disabled 
veterans; 
(4) veterans who are dissatisfied with medical 
disability examinations or opinions provided by em-
ployees or contractors of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs may obtain and submit outside, inde-
pendent disability evaluations; however, most vet-
erans cannot afford to obtain such evaluations and 
most non-Department training clinicians are not fa-
miliar with the specific legal criteria and medical 
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findings necessary to prepare adequate disability ex-
amination reports and opinions; and 
(5) clinics within non-Department of Veterans 
Affairs medical residency and fellowship programs 
are a potential resource to supplement the current 
medical disability examination and opinion system 
carried out by employees and contractors of the De-
partment by— 
(A) affording disabled veterans with an-
other option for high-quality, outside, inde-
pendent disability evaluations; and 
(B) providing non-Department clinicians 
with clinical training and experience necessary 
to understand the unique medical needs of dis-
abled veterans. 
(b) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall conduct a study to assess the feasibility and 
advisability of— 
(1) establishing the pilot program described in 
subsection (d); and 
(2) using the disability benefits questionnaire 
forms as described in subsection (d)(8) to support 
such program. 
(c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
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of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on 
the findings of the study conducted under subsection (b). 
(d) PILOT PROGRAM DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The pilot program described 
in this section is a pilot program under which the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides assistance to 
eligible recipients to establish or maintain programs 
that assist veterans applying for compensation under 
chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, in sub-
stantiating their claims with independent medical ex-
aminations and opinions. 
(2) ELIGIBLE
RECIPIENTS.—For purposes of 
the pilot program, an eligible recipient would be an 
entity that— 
(A) is administering a non-Department of 
Veterans Affairs medical residency or medical 
fellowship program in the United States or a 
territory of the United States; and 
(B) is accredited by a nationally recognized 
accrediting agency. 
(3) DURATION.—The Secretary would carry out 
the pilot program during the five-year period begin-
ning on the date of the commencement of the pilot 
program. 
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(4) GRANTS.—The Secretary would carry out 
the pilot program through the award of grants to el-
igible recipients to establish or maintain programs 
as described in paragraph (1). 
(5) COMPETITIVE
PROCESS.—The Secretary 
would establish a competitive process for the award 
of the grants under the pilot program. 
(6) SELECTION
OF
GRANT
RECIPIENTS.—In 
awarding grants under the pilot program, the Sec-
retary may give preference to an eligible recipient lo-
cated in a rural area or an underserved area. 
(7) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible recipient 
receiving a grant under the pilot program would 
use the grant to establish or maintain a pro-
gram as described in paragraph (1) in which 
medical residents or fellows provide pro bono 
medical examinations and opinions for the pur-
poses described in that paragraph. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—For each program 
established or maintained with amounts from a 
grant under the pilot program— 
(i) medical residents and fellows 
would practice under the supervision of at-
tending physicians in accordance with such 
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supervisory requirements as the Secretary 
would prescribe in regulations; 
(ii) each attending physician providing 
such supervision would be in good standing 
with the medical licensing board of each 
State in which the attending physician is 
licensed; 
(iii) each medical resident and fellow 
would be in good standing with— 
(I) the program established or 
maintained with amounts from the 
grant; and 
(II) the medical licensing board 
of each State in which the resident or 
fellow is licensed; 
(iv) each medical resident, fellow, and 
attending physician would undergo training 
that is substantially the same as or equiva-
lent to training required for medical exam-
iners of the Veterans Health Administra-
tion or contractors of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs who conduct medical ex-
aminations for purposes of supporting 
claims for compensation under chapter 11 
of title 38, United States Code; 
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(v) medical residents would be in their 
second year or later of a medical residency; 
(vi) the program would not charge 
veterans fees for the services provided; 
(vii) the program would screen indi-
vidual applicants who are veterans using 
such income eligibility criteria as the Sec-
retary would prescribe in regulations; 
(viii) the recipient of the grant would, 
on an annual basis, provide the Secretary 
with an accounting of how the recipient 
has used and allocated grant funds; and 
(ix) the program would meet such 
other criteria as the Secretary may pre-
scribe in regulations. 
(8) FORMS.—The Secretary would provide to 
each recipient of a grant under the pilot program all 
current disability benefits questionnaire forms of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(9) OUTREACH.—The Secretary would, in part-
nership with veterans service organizations, imple-
ment an informative outreach program for veterans 
regarding the availability of services from programs 
established or maintained under the pilot program. 
(10) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— 
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(A) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—Partici-
pation by any veteran in the pilot program 
would be voluntary. 
(B) RIGHT TO MEDICAL EXAMINATION.— 
Administration of the pilot program would not 
be construed to invalidate or replace the right 
of a veteran to a medical examination provided 
by an employee or contractor of the Depart-
ment 
of 
Veterans 
Affairs 
under 
section 
5103A(d) of title 38, United States Code. 
(11) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
(A) The term ‘‘rural area’’ means an area 
classified as ‘‘rural’’ by the Bureau of the Cen-
sus. 
(B) The term ‘‘underserved area’’ means 
an area that meets one or more of the following 
criteria: 
(i) The area has a high proportion of 
individuals who have limited access to 
health care. 
(ii) The area has a high proportion of 
individuals who have limited access to legal 
services. 
(C) The term ‘‘veterans service organiza-
tion’’ means an organization recognized by the 
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Secretary for the representation of veterans 
under section 5902 of title 38, United States 
Code. 
Æ 
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