Veterans Pro Bono Corps Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.6231 | Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe (D-CO)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Pro Bono Corps Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the feasibility and advisability of establishing a five-year pilot program to provide assistance to entities that provide aid to veterans applying for compensation for a service-connected disability, specifically by helping them substantiate their claims with independent medical examinations and opinions. The study must also assess the use of the VA disability benefits questionnaire forms to support the pilot program.
Under the program, eligible entities are those that administer a non-VA medical residency or medical fellowship program in the United States (or a territory of the United States) and are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON POTENTIAL PILOT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT MEDICAL RESIDENCY 
              AND FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS THAT ASSIST VETERANS.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the Sense of Congress that--
            (1) the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have 
        contributed to a growing backlog of veterans needing medical 
        disability examinations and opinions;
            (2) access to medical disability examinations and opinions 
        is critical for veterans to receive disability compensation 
        benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs;
            (3) there remains a need to train non-Department 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 employees or contractors 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs may obtain and submit 
        outside, independent disability evaluations; however, most 
        veterans cannot afford to obtain such evaluations and most non-
        Department training clinicians are not familiar with the 
        specific legal criteria and medical findings necessary to 
        prepare adequate disability examination 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 Department by--
                    (A) affording disabled veterans with another option 
                for high-quality, outside, independent disability 
                evaluations; and
                    (B) providing non-Department clinicians with 
                clinical training and experience necessary to 
                understand the unique medical needs of disabled 
                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 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 substantiating their claims with independent medical 
        examinations 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 beginning on the date of 
        the commencement of the pilot program.
            (4) Grants.--The Secretary would carry out the pilot 
        program through the award of grants to eligible 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 Secretary may give preference to 
        an eligible recipient located 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 program as described in 
                paragraph (1) in which medical residents or fellows 
                provide pro bono medical examinations and opinions for 
                the purposes 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 attending 
                        physicians in accordance with such 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 equivalent to 
                        training required for medical examiners of the 
                        Veterans Health Administration or contractors 
                        of the Department of Veterans Affairs who 
                        conduct medical examinations for purposes of 
                        supporting claims for compensation under 
                        chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code;
                            (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 individual 
                        applicants who are veterans using such income 
                        eligibility criteria as the Secretary 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 prescribe 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 partnership with 
        veterans service organizations, implement an informative 
        outreach program for veterans regarding the availability of 
        services from programs established or maintained under the 
        pilot program.
            (10) Rule of construction.--
                    (A) Voluntary participation.--Participation 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 Department 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 Census.
                    (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 organization'' 
                means an organization recognized by the Secretary for 
                the representation of veterans under section 5902 of 
                title 38, United States Code.
                                 <all>