Title: Ensuring Veterans Access Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Ensuring Veterans Access Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a secure, internet-based portal to enable a person or their representative to make records requests related to VA claims and benefits. Requests for records must specify in which format the copy is desired. The VA must notify a requester within 10 days that their request has been received and must fulfill the request within 120 days.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7926 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7926

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to allow for the electronic 
          request of certain records, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 4, 2020

    Mr. Cox of California (for himself and Mr. Roy) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to allow for the electronic 
          request of certain records, 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 ``Ensuring Veterans Access Act''.

SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC REQUEST OF CERTAIN RECORDS MAINTAINED BY THE 
              SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Electronic Record Requests.--Section 5702 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b)(1) The Secretary shall establish and maintain a secure, 
internet-based portal to ensure that a person or a duly authorized 
agent or representative of that person may submit an electronic request 
for such records.
    ``(2) The Secretary, upon receipt of a valid request made through 
the portal established under paragraph (1), shall provide to the 
requestor--
            ``(A) not later than 10 days after receipt, confirmation of 
        such receipt; and
            ``(B) not later than 120 days after receipt, such records 
        requested in the form selected by the requestor.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 5702(a) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``in 
        writing'' and inserting ``in writing, including an electronic 
        request submitted through the portal established under 
        subsection (b),'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) the format in which such copy is desired, including 
        whether in printed form or by downloadable file.''.
    (c) Deadline; Establishment of Electronic Portal.--Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall establish the portal required under section 
5702(b)(1) of title 38, United States Code, as added by this Act, and, 
to the extent practicable, the Secretary shall utilize existing online 
resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purposes of 
such establishment.
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