Title: Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act
This bill updates the placement and treatment of the disability benefit questionnaire form of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, the bill requires the VA to publish the disability benefit questionnaire form in a central location on a VA website. Such a form relates to the submission of evidence by private medical providers regarding the disability of a claimant.
If the VA modifies the disability benefit questionnaire form, the VA must accept the previous version of the form filed by a claimant if (1) the claimant files such form during the one-year period following the modification, and (2) the form is signed and dated by the medical provider and is otherwise complete and valid.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6493 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6493

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of 
veterans to access and submit disability benefit questionnaire forms of 
                  the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of 
veterans to access and submit disability benefit questionnaire forms of 
                  the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 Benefits Fairness and 
Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF DISABILITY BENEFIT QUESTIONNAIRE 
              FORMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    Section 5101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection (d):
    ``(d)(1) The Secretary shall publish in a central location on the 
internet website of the Department the disability benefit questionnaire 
form, or such successor form relating to private medical providers 
submitting evidence regarding a disability of a claimant.
    ``(2) Subject to section 6103 of this title, if the Secretary 
modifies the form described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
accept the previous version of the form filed by a claimant if--
            ``(A) the claimant files such form during the one-year 
        period following the date of such modification; and
            ``(B) the form is signed and dated by the private medical 
        provider and is otherwise complete and valid.''.
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