Title: Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act of 2018
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act of 2018
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a team of experts to report to Congress addressing issues in the implementation of educational housing assistance for veterans. Specifically, the team will address issues with the payment of educational housing stipends to eligible veterans, as a result of amendments made to the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, commonly known as the Forever GI Bill. Among other things, changes made to the act affected the calculation of the housing stipend amount based on campus location.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7273 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7273

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a tiger team 
dedicated to addressing the difficulties encountered by the Department 
 of Veterans Affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 38, United 
 States Code, after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry 
        W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2018

 Mr. Barr (for himself and Ms. Gabbard) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a tiger team 
dedicated to addressing the difficulties encountered by the Department 
 of Veterans Affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 38, United 
 States Code, after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry 
        W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017.

    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 ``Forever GI Bill Housing Payment 
Fulfillment Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) On August 16, 2017, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 
        Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-48) (known 
        by some as the ``Forever GI Bill'') was enacted into law.
            (2) Such Act makes certain improvements to the Post-9/11 
        Educational Assistance program for veterans, including 
        improvements relating to how the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        calculates the amount of payments for monthly housing stipends 
        under that program.
            (3) Section 107 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 33 U.S.C. 
        3313 note) requires the Secretary to calculate the amount of 
        payments for monthly housing stipends based on the location of 
        the campus of the institution of higher learning where the 
        individual attends classes, a change from the previous 
        direction to make such calculation based on the location of the 
        institution of higher learning.
            (4) Section 501 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 37 U.S.C. 
        403 note) repeals the inapplicability of a modification of the 
        basic allowance for housing for members of the uniformed 
        services to benefits administered by the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs.
            (5) The amendments made by section 107 and 501 of such Act 
        became effective on August 1, 2018, and January 1, 2018, 
        respectively.
            (6) Representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        have stated that the Department will not be able to determine 
        proper payment amounts based on the amendment made by section 
        107 of such Act until December 1, 2019.
            (7) Representatives of the Department have also stated that 
        outdated information technology systems have stymied efforts to 
        update necessary information that enable proper housing 
        payments as required by the provisions of law amended by 
        sections 107 and 501 of such Act.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) as soon as possible, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        should end the making of improper payment amounts for monthly 
        stipends under section 3313 of title 38, United States Code;
            (2) by January 1, 2020, the Secretary should make whole the 
        individuals entitled to payments of monthly stipends under 
        section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, who have been 
        underpaid as a result of the difficulties encountered by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs in carrying out such section 
        after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of the Harry W. 
        Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 
        115-48); and
            (3) no individuals entitled to payments of monthly stipend 
        under section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, who have 
        been overpaid as a result of the difficulties encountered by 
        the Department in carrying out such section after the enactment 
        of sections 107 and 501 of such Act should have overpayments 
        recuperated by the Department.

SEC. 3. TIGER TEAM FOR HOUSING STIPENDS.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than one day after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
establish a tiger team (in this section referred to as the ``Tiger 
Team'') dedicated to addressing the difficulties encountered by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs in carrying out section 3313 of title 
38, United States Code, after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of 
the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 
(Public Law 115-48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note).
    (b) Composition.--Not later than 15 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress the names 
and titles of the employees of the Department who compose the Tiger 
Team established under subsection (a), including the name and title of 
the senior-level employee of the Department who serves as the lead 
accountable official of the Tiger Team.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) Submission to congress.--Not later than 90 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Tiger Team shall 
        submit to Congress the following:
                    (A) A plan describing the following:
                            (i) How the Secretary will obtain the 
                        information necessary to determine the correct 
                        payment amounts for monthly stipends under 
                        section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, 
                        made after the enactment of sections 107 and 
                        501 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 
                        Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 
                        115-48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 
                        note), from officials responsible for the 
                        certification of payments of monthly stipends 
                        made under section 3313 of such title.
                            (ii) How the Secretary will modify the 
                        relevant information technology systems of the 
                        Department to correct the payment amounts for 
                        monthly stipends under section 3313 of such 
                        title made after the enactment of sections 107 
                        and 501 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 38 
                        U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note) that 
                        were deficient.
                            (iii) How the Secretary will identify all 
                        of the individuals who received payments of 
                        monthly stipends under section 3313 of such 
                        title that were not in compliance with such 
                        section, after the enactment of sections 107 
                        and 501 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 38 
                        U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note).
                            (iv) How the Secretary will notify the 
                        individuals described in clause (iii).
                            (v) The procedures the Secretary will use 
                        to correct the payments of monthly stipends 
                        under section 3313 of such title that were 
                        deficient as a result of the difficulties 
                        encountered by the Department of Veterans 
                        Affairs in carrying out such section after the 
                        enactment of sections 107 and 501 of such Act 
                        (Public Law 115-48; 38 U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 
                        U.S.C. 403 note).
                    (B) A complete timeline for the implementation of 
                the plan described in subparagraph (A).
                    (C) Any additional funding and personnel 
                requirements necessary to support the implementation of 
                the plan described in subparagraph (A), including any 
                such requirements as may be necessary for staffing 
                increases or relevant improvements to the information 
                technology infrastructure of the Department.
            (2) Implementation.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall implement the 
                plan submitted under paragraph (1)(A).
                    (B) Periodic updates.--Not less frequently than 
                once every 90 days after submission of the items under 
                paragraph (1), the Tiger Team shall submit to Congress 
                an update on the implementation of the plan described 
                in subparagraph (A) of such paragraph.
            (3) Final report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than July 1, 2020, the 
                Tiger Team shall submit to the appropriate 
                congressional committees a final report on the 
                activities and findings of the Tiger Team.
                    (B) Contents.--The report required by subparagraph 
                (A) shall include the following:
                            (i) The number of individuals who were 
                        affected by payments of monthly stipends under 
                        section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, 
                        that were not in compliance with such section 
                        after the enactment of sections 107 and 501 of 
                        the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational 
                        Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-48; 38 
                        U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note).
                            (ii) The number of individuals described in 
                        clause (i) who received deficient payments as a 
                        result of the difficulties encountered by the 
                        Department in carrying out section 3313 of such 
                        title after the enactment of sections 107 and 
                        501 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 38 U.S.C. 
                        3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note), and the 
                        total amount of the deficiency for each 
                        individual, disaggregated by State.
                            (iii) The number of individuals described 
                        in clause (ii) who have not received the amount 
                        of monthly stipend to which such individuals 
                        are entitled under section 3313 of such title 
                        and an explanation of why such individuals have 
                        not received such amounts.
                            (iv) A certification of whether the 
                        Department is fully compliant with sections 107 
                        and 501 of such Act (Public Law 115-48; 38 
                        U.S.C. 3313 note and 37 U.S.C. 403 note).
                    (C) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--
                In this paragraph, the term ``appropriate congressional 
                committees'' means the following:
                            (i) The Subcommittee on Military 
                        Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related 
                        Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations and 
                        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                        Senate.
                            (ii) The Subcommittee on Military 
                        Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related 
                        Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations and 
                        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
                        of Representatives.
    (d) Termination.--On the date that is 60 days after the date on 
which the Tiger Team submits the final report required by subsection 
(c)(3), the Secretary shall terminate the Tiger Team established under 
subsection (a).
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