Title: Increasing Access for Veterans and Their Survivors Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Increasing Access for Veterans and Their Survivors Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include on its covered toll-free telephone number a Spanish prompt and the functionality of directing callers to a Spanish-speaking VA employee or a translation service. The VA must establish a fact sheet and protocol if it provides assistance through a translation service.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6353 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6353

    To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the 
availability of prompts and services of certain Department of Veterans 
Affairs toll-free telephone numbers and business lines in Spanish, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2020

Mr. Khanna (for himself, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Cook, and Mr. Hurd of Texas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the 
availability of prompts and services of certain Department of Veterans 
Affairs toll-free telephone numbers and business lines in Spanish, 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 ``Increasing Access for Veterans and 
Their Survivors Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF PROMPTS AND SERVICES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBERS IN SPANISH.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that the covered toll-free telephone number of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs includes--
            (1) a Spanish prompt; and
            (2) the functionality of directing callers who are 
        connected to each business telephone line of the Department to 
        a Department employee who is able to speak Spanish fluently or 
        to a translation service to provide assistance.
    (b) Spanish Prompt.--The Spanish prompt required by subsection (a) 
shall include--
            (1) the option to hear routing options in Spanish, 
        including descriptions of the business telephone lines of the 
        Department to which callers may be transferred to in order to 
        obtain information or assistance; and
            (2) the option to speak to an employee who speaks Spanish 
        and who will provide the same quality of assistance as that 
        available to callers in English.
    (c) Translation Service Protocol.--If the Secretary provides 
assistance through a translation service under subsection (a)(2), the 
Secretary shall establish a fact sheet and protocol outlining the 
appropriate protocol to use the translation service.
    (d) Covered Toll-Free Number.--For purposes of this section, the 
covered toll-free telephone number of the Department is (800) 827-1000 
or any telephone number that is used to provide the same or similar 
functions.
    (e) Report to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a 
report on the status of implementing this section. Such report shall 
include--
            (1) the status of the implementation of the requirements of 
        this section;
            (2) the date on which the implementation of the 
        requirements of this section is expected to be completed; and
            (3) a description of any additional support or resources 
        needed to implement such requirements.
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