I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 616
To provide for reduction in the backlog of claims for benefits pending with 
the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2005
Mr. BACA (for himself, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. WYNN, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. CARSON, 
Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MOORE 
of Kansas, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. BISHOP of 
Georgia, Mrs. LOWEY, and Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide for reduction in the backlog of claims for benefits 
pending with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 ‘‘Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Claims Backlog Reduction Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) There are over 25,000,000 honorably dis-
charged veterans of the Armed Forces of the United 
States. 
(2) There are over 500,000 veterans who have 
claims pending with the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs for veterans’ benefits, and approximately 
100,000 of such claims are over one year old without 
resolution. 
(3) The Nation’s veterans are dying at a rate 
of over 1,000 veterans a day. 
(4) It is the responsibility of the United States 
Government to live up to the promises to the Na-
tion’s veterans that were made and accepted. 
(5) The National Association of County Vet-
erans Service Officers is an organization that in-
cludes approximately 2,400 full-time employees and 
whose members are present in 37 States. 
(6) Members of the National Association of 
County Veterans Service Officers stand ready to act 
in partnership with the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs in order to eliminate the backlog of claims for 
veterans’ benefits. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘claimant’’ means an individual 
applying for, or submitting a claim for, any benefit 
under the laws administered by the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs. 
(2) The term ‘‘County Veterans Service Offi-
cer’’ means any person employed by or funded by 
any county, parish, borough, or territory whose job 
it is to assist veterans and eligible dependents in the 
application for, administration of, or receipt of bene-
fits under any Federal, State, or County veterans 
benefit program. 
(3) The term ‘‘injury or illness claim’’ means a 
claim for benefits that is documented as being serv-
ice-connected. 
(4) The term ‘‘presumptive claim’’ means a 
claim for benefits that is presumptively connected to 
a specific tour of duty or to specific types of military 
assignment. 
(5) The term ‘‘statutory claims’’ means those 
claims for benefits defined in section 5101 of title 
38, United States Code. 
(6) The term ‘‘specific claims’’ includes statu-
tory claims, presumptive claims, and injury or illness 
claims.
(7) The term ‘‘ready to be rated’’ means that 
there is sufficient information to evaluate the 
claimed disability and to assign a rating based on 
degree of disability. 
(8) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 101(20) of title 38, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 4. REDUCTION OF BACKLOG OF VETERANS’ CLAIMS. 
(a) REFERRAL OF CLAIMS TO COUNTY VETERANS 
SERVICE OFFICERS.—
(1) IDENTIFICATION
OF
CLAIMS
BACKLOG.—
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall identify the 
backlog of veterans’ claims as of the date of the en-
actment of this Act and shall categorize those claims 
into types of specific claims. As part of such cat-
egorization, the Secretary shall identify the pending 
claims that require development. The Secretary shall 
refer those claims requiring development to a Coun-
ty Veterans Service Office for development. 
(2) SELECTION OF COUNTY VSO BASED ON GE-
OGRAPHIC PROXIMITY.—The Secretary shall choose 
a County Veterans Service Office for development of 
a claim based upon the office’s geographical prox-
imity to the claimant.
(3) INFORMATION
REQUIRED
TO
DEVELOP 
CLAIM.—A claim referred to a County Veterans 
Service Office for development shall be accompanied 
by specification from the Secretary of the informa-
tion that is required to develop the claim and the in-
formation that is needed to make the claim ready to 
rate. 
(b) FILING OF CLAIMS WITH COUNTY VETERANS 
SERVICE OFFICERS.—Claims for benefits under laws ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may be 
submitted to County Veterans Service Officers. Receipt of 
such a claim by a County Veterans Service Officer under 
this Act shall be treated for all purposes as receipt of the 
claim by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT OF CLAIMS. 
(a) DEVELOPMENT OF CLAIMS BY COUNTY VET-
ERANS SERVICE OFFICER.—When a County Veterans 
Service Officer receives a claim referred under section 4(a) 
or receives a claim under section 4(b), that officer shall 
make personal contact with the claimant, explain the situ-
ation, and develop the claim. 
(b) AUTHORITY
TO FULLY DEVELOP CLAIM.—A 
County Veterans Service Officer to whom a claim is re-
ferred under section 4(a) or who receives a claim under 
section 4(b) shall have the authority to fully develop the
claim and to transmit the claim to the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs when the claim is ready to be rated. 
(c) PROCEDURE.—Once the claim has been fully de-
veloped, the claim shall be transmitted back to the Sec-
retary with the information developed in accordance with 
the specification under section 4(a)(3) and a statement 
from the County Veterans Service Officer indicating that 
the claim is ready to rate. 
(d) FULLY DEVELOPED CLAIMS.—For purposes of 
this section, a claim shall be considered to be fully devel-
oped when the County Veterans Service Officer has ob-
tained all items that that officer determines are necessary 
to substantiate the claim and all items that the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs has specifically specified to be devel-
oped in connection with the claim. 
SEC. 6. INFORMATION SHARING. 
Veterans’ information contained in the Benefits De-
livery Network of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
shall be accessible to County Veterans Service Offices in 
order to provide County Veterans Service Offices with on-
line access to client information contained in the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs database. Such information shall 
be used by such offices to develop veterans’ claims under 
this Act and for no other purpose.