I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3047 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the processing of claims 
for benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2007 
Mr. LAMBORN (for himself, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. 
HAYES, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. BILI-
RAKIS, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, and Mr. 
FORTUN˜O) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
processing of claims for benefits administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
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 Claims Proc-
essing Innovation Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORK CREDIT SYSTEM FOR 
REGIONAL OFFICES OF VETERANS BENEFITS 
ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM.—Chapter 7 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
‘‘§ 713. Veterans Benefits Administration work credit 
system 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a work credit system for evaluating regional offices 
of the Veterans Benefits Administration. 
‘‘(b) CREDIT FOR CLAIMS.—Under the system estab-
lished under subsection (a), a regional office of the Vet-
erans Benefits Administration may only receive work cred-
it for a claim assigned to that regional office when the 
appellate period for the claim has expired or the Board 
of Veterans Appeals has issued a final decision with re-
spect to the claim.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 
at the end the following new item: 
‘‘713. Veterans Benefits Administration work credit system.’’. 
SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC PROCESSING OF CLAIMS FOR BENE-
FITS ADMINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) ELECTRONIC PROCESSING OF CLAIMS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle I of chapter 51 of 
title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 
3, is further amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 5109C. Electronic processing of claims 
‘‘(a) SYSTEM REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall de-
velop and maintain a system for processing claims for dis-
ability compensation under this title using artificial intel-
ligence. Such system shall use medical and military service 
data to generate recommendations with respect to dis-
ability ratings. 
‘‘(b) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—During the period be-
ginning on the date that is 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section and ending on the last day of 
the first full fiscal year after the fiscal year during which 
the regional office required under section 351(c) of this 
title is fully operational, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House 
of Representatives quarterly reports on the status of the 
system required under subsection (a) and the regional of-
fice required under such section.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
by adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘5109C. Electronic processing of claims.’’. 
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(b) REGIONAL OFFICE.—Section 315 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) The Secretary shall maintain a regional office 
at which all claims for benefits under this title are proc-
essed exclusively electronically. At such regional office, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) maintain the system based on artificial in-
telligence required under section 5109C of this title; 
and 
‘‘(2) electronically scan all files created by or 
submitted to such office that relate to claimants or 
claims for such benefits.’’. 
(c) DEADLINE
FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—The Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a plan for estab-
lishing the regional office required under subsection (c) 
of section 315 of title 38, United States Code, as added 
by subsection (b), by not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 4. TREATMENT OF BENEFICIARY OF VETERAN’S AC-
CRUED BENEFITS AS CLAIMANT FOR PUR-
POSES 
OF 
INCOMPLETE 
CLAIMS 
AS 
OF 
DEATH OF VETERAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5102 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by added at the end the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(d) If a veteran who is a claimant dies before com-
pleting the submission of a claim for any benefit under 
a law administered by the Secretary, the person who would 
receive any accrued benefits due to the veteran under sec-
tion 5121(a)(2) of this title shall be treated as the claim-
ant for the purposes of completing the submission of the 
claim.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (d) of section 
5102 of title 38, United States Code, shall apply with re-
spect to the claim of any veteran who dies on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. EVALUATION OF TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT PRO-
GRAMS FOR EMPLOYEES OF VETERANS BEN-
EFITS ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall enter into a contract with a private en-
tity with experience evaluating quality assurance and ben-
efits programs under which that entity shall— 
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(1) conduct an evaluation of the items required 
to be included in the annual report of the Secretary 
under section 7734 of title 38, United States Code, 
that were included in the last such report submitted 
before the date of the enactment of this Act, that re-
late to the training and performance assessment pro-
grams of the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration 
who are responsible for matters relating to com-
pensation or pension benefits under the laws admin-
istered by the Secretary; and 
(2) submit to the Secretary the results of such 
evaluation not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(b) SUBMISSION OF RESULTS TO CONGRESS.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, In the first annual report required to be sub-
mitted to Congress under section 529 of title 38, United 
States Code, submitted after the date on which the Sec-
retary receives the results of the evaluation required under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall include such results. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
on which the Secretary submits the report referred to in 
subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report on any actions the Secretary has taken or plans 
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to take in response to the results of the evaluation re-
quired under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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