Title: Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2017
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work with federal agencies, states, and experts to develop and implement federal and state standards that protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension for a non-service-connected disability or death or for service on the basis of need for regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or otherwise unlawful practices.
The Government Accountability Office must: (1) report standards that would be effective in protecting such individuals if the VA fails to submit such standards as required, and (2) complete a study on standards implemented under this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1198 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1198

  To protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension under 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the basis of 
   need of regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or 
         otherwise unlawful practices, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2017

 Ms. Warren (for herself and Mr. Rubio) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension under 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the basis of 
   need of regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or 
         otherwise unlawful practices, 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 Care Financial Protection 
Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE FOR INCREASED PENSION UNDER 
              LAWS ADMINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON 
              BASIS OF NEED FOR REGULAR AID AND ATTENDANCE.

    (a) Development and Implementation of Standards.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        work with the heads of Federal agencies, States, and such 
        experts as the Secretary considers appropriate to develop and 
        implement Federal and State standards that protect individuals 
        from dishonest, predatory, or otherwise unlawful practices 
        relating to increased pension available to such individuals 
        under chapter 15 of title 38, United States Code, on the basis 
        of need for regular aid and attendance.
            (2) Submittal to congress.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives the standards developed under paragraph (1).
    (b) Conditional Recommendation by Comptroller General.--If the 
Secretary does not, on or before the date that is 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
House of Representatives standards that are developed under subsection 
(a)(1), the Comptroller General of the United States shall, not later 
than the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, submit to such committees a report containing standards that the 
Comptroller General determines are standards that would be effective in 
protecting individuals as described in such subsection.
    (c) Study by Comptroller General.--Not later than 540 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall complete a study on standards implemented under 
this section to protect individuals as described in subsection (a)(1) 
and submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
containing the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to such 
study.
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