Title: To defer action regarding certain debts arising from benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a period of time including the COVID-19 emergency period.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill defers certain debts arising from benefits under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the covered period, which is the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period plus the 60 days following the end of such period.
Specifically, the bill prohibits the VA from doing the following during the covered period:
The VA may collect a payment from a person who elects to make such payment during the covered period.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6590 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6590

  To defer action regarding certain debts arising from benefits under 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a period of 
             time including the COVID-19 emergency period.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2020

  Mr. Pappas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To defer action regarding certain debts arising from benefits under 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a period of 
             time including the COVID-19 emergency period.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DEFERRAL OF CERTAIN DEBTS ARISING FROM BENEFITS UNDER LAWS 
              ADMINISTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--During the covered period, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs may not--
            (1) take any action to collect a covered debt (including 
        the offset of any payment by the Secretary);
            (2) record a covered debt;
            (3) issue notice of a covered debt to a person or a 
        consumer reporting agency;
            (4) allow any interest to accrue on a covered debt; or
            (5) apply any administrative fee to a covered debt.
    (b) Exception.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary may 
collect a payment regarding a covered debt (including interest or any 
administrative fee) from a person (or the fiduciary of that person) who 
elects to make such a payment during the covered period.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``consumer reporting agency'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 5701 of title 38, United States 
        Code.
            (2) The term ``covered debt'' means a debt--
                    (A) owed by a person (including a fiduciary) to the 
                United States;
                    (B) arising from a benefit under a covered law; and
                    (C) that is not subject to recovery under--
                            (i) section 3729 of title 31, United States 
                        Code;
                            (ii) section 1729 of title 38, United 
                        States Code; or
                            (iii) Public Law 87-693 (42 U.S.C. 2651).
            (3) The term ``covered law'' means any law administered by 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs through--
                    (A) the Under Secretary for Health; or
                    (B) the Under Secretary for Benefits.
            (4) The term ``covered period'' means--
                    (A) the COVID-19 emergency period; and
                    (B) the 60 days immediately following the date of 
                the end of the COVID-19 emergency period.
            (5) The term ``COVID-19 emergency period'' means the 
        emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)(B)).
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