I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8919 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate and upgrade the 
mail management systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 9, 2020 
Mr. CUNNINGHAM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate 
and upgrade the mail management systems of the De-
partment 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 ‘‘Ensuring Vastly Im-
proved Performance (eVIP) for Mail Service for our Vet-
erans Act’’ or the ‘‘eVIP Mail Service for Veterans Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MAIL STRATEGY AND MODERNIZATION. 
(a) DEVELOP STRATEGY.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall develop a strategy to 
improve the printing and mailing operations of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) EXCLUSION.—The strategy described in 
paragraph (1) does not apply to the mailing of pre-
scription and over-the-counter drugs. 
(b) STRATEGY GOALS.—The Secretary shall include 
in the strategy under subsection (a) plans for improving 
the printing and mailing operations of the Department, 
including plans for the following: 
(1) Consolidate the printing and mailing oper-
ations of the Department— 
(A) such that the operations are performed 
at not more than four locations, except that the 
Veterans Health Administration and the Vet-
erans Benefits Administration are each pri-
marily serviced by not more than two of the lo-
cations; 
(B) to enable production cost efficiencies; 
and 
(C) to improve the timeliness of sending 
mail. 
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(2) Ensure each of the locations described in 
paragraph (1)(A) has the capacity to offset service 
disruptions at another such location, and enable the 
exchange of mail volume between such locations for 
purposes of such offsetting and for balancing the 
mail volume for which each such location is respon-
sible. 
(3) Update the printing and mailing practices 
of the Department to decrease mailing costs, includ-
ing increasing the use of automation discounts of-
fered by the United States Postal Service. 
(4) Improve the accuracy of mail data main-
tained by the Department. 
(5) Improve the tracking of mail within the De-
partment. 
(6) Perform house holding on a more consistent 
basis. 
(7) Set Departmentwide standards, including 
minimum requirements and target goals, for appro-
priate mail data metrics. 
(8) Improve the accuracy of address informa-
tion held by the Department for persons to whom 
the Department sends mail. 
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(c) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary may carry out 
a pilot program to test the feasibility and efficacy of the 
strategy developed under subsection (a). 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the Secretary has developed the strategy under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall implement the 
strategy except as provided in paragraphs (2) and 
(3). 
(2) CONSOLIDATION.—Subject to paragraph 
(3), not later than 24 months after the Secretary 
has developed the strategy under subsection (a) the 
Secretary shall implement the strategy with respect 
to the goals described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
subsection (b). 
(3) EXTENSION IN CASE OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 
If the Secretary carries out a pilot program under 
subsection (c), not later than 36 months after the 
Secretary has developed the strategy under sub-
section (a) the Secretary shall implement the strat-
egy. 
(e) REPORT.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Not later than the date de-
scribed in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit 
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to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report on— 
(A) the effect of the strategy developed 
under subsection (a), as implemented, on the 
reliability and timeliness of correspondence be-
tween the Department and veterans and their 
dependants; 
(B) the cost savings resulting from the im-
plementation of the strategy; 
(C) the improvements implemented under 
the strategy to the hardware and software used 
for printing and mailing operations of the De-
partment, including any such improvements 
that will be implemented; and 
(D) whether the Department is processing 
a significant volume of mail correspondence vol-
umes outside of the locations described in sub-
section (b)(1)(A). 
(2) TIMING.—The date described in this para-
graph is— 
(A) two years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act; or 
(B) if the Secretary carries out a pilot pro-
gram under subsection (c), three years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
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(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘house holding’’ means consoli-
dating into a single piece of mail all mail that is sent 
on the same day from the same location to the same 
intended recipient at one address. 
(2) The term ‘‘mail data’’ means metrics relat-
ing to printing and mailing operations, including the 
quantity of mail, costs, and address errors. 
(3) The term ‘‘printing and mailing operations’’ 
means the processes, personnel, facilities, and mate-
rials and other resources involved in the production, 
handling, and transmission of electronic and physical 
mail, and the management thereof. 
Æ 
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