zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Claims Processing Improvement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish: (1) a working group to assess and develop recommendations for improving the employee work credit and work management systems of the Veterans Benefits Administration, and (2) a task force to assess the retention and training of claims processors and adjudicators employed by the VA and other federal departments and agencies.

Requires the Secretary, in providing assistance to a VA benefits claimant, to make no fewer than two attempts to obtain needed records from another federal department or agency, and to notify the claimant of the inability to obtain all of the records sought. Requires a record sought before the adjudication of a claim but received after such adjudication to be considered part of the original record.

Authorizes the Secretary to recognize representatives of Indian tribes in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA claims.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a pilot program of including the participation of local governments and tribal organizations in improving the quality of disability compensation claims submitted to the VA, and (2) report quarterly through 2015 to the congressional veterans committees on the backlog of submitted claims.

Changes from one year to 180 days the filing period of a notice of disagreement to a decision on a claim, after which appellate review will be initiated. Allows the Secretary to waive such deadline for good cause shown, as long as such notice is filed within 186 days after the original deadline.

Revises the manner of appearance (in person, through picture and voice transmission, etc.) and appropriate location of a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

Authorizes the Secretary to disclose VA patient medical records, as appropriate under an appeal, to the Supreme Court, a U.S. Court of Appeals, or the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Extends: (1) VA authority to operate a regional office in the Republic of the Philippines, (2) the period for the scheduling of VA medical exams for veterans receiving temporary disability ratings due to severe mental disorders, (3) the marriage delimiting date for surviving spouses of Persian Gulf War veterans to qualify for a VA death pension, and (4) the temporary authority for the performance of VA medical disability examinations by contract physicians.

Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans committees on: (1) the furnishing of general and specialty medical examinations by the VA for purposes of adjudicating benefits claims, and (2) progress of the VA's acceptable clinical evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations and other efforts to comply with requirements concerning the acceptance of reports of private physicians.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013 - Authorizes the provision of advance appropriations for the following discretionary (under current law, medical care) accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) Veterans Health Administration Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, Medical Facilities, and Medical Research and Support; (2) National Cemetery Administration; and (3) Veterans Benefits Administration, Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program.

Authorizes the provision of advance appropriations for the following VA discretionary administration accounts: (1) general operating expenses, (2) information technology systems, (3) the Office of the Inspector General, (4) construction for major and minor projects, and (5) grants for the construction of state extended care facilities and veterans cemeteries.

Date: 2013-05-13
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), during the six-year period after the enactment of this Act, from requesting a medical examination in connection with a claim for veterans' disability compensation when the claimant submits medical evidence provided by a non-VA medical professional that is competent, credible, probative, and otherwise adequate for making a claim decision.

Requires the Secretary, during the same period: (1) to assign a prestabilization disability rating of total, 50%, or 30%, as appropriate; (2) to provide temporary minimum disability ratings for veterans not assigned a permanent rating; and (3) to not count any veteran assigned a prestabilization or temporary minimum rating under any backlog of unassigned ratings.

Authorizes the Secretary, during the same period, to certify benefit payments by mail or account deposit before the first day of the month for which such payments are due.

Date: 2013-05-13
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Provides that if a person adversely affected by a final decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals who has not filed a notice of appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims within the required 120-day period files a document with the Board or the agency of original jurisdiction within 120 days after the Board's decision expressing disagreement with the decision, such document shall be treated as a motion for reconsideration by the Board.

Provides that such a document shall not be considered a motion for reconsideration if the Board or agency of original jurisdiction receives the document, determines that it expresses an intent to appeal the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and forwards the document to such Court within the 120-day period.

Date: 2013-05-14
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Help Veterans Own Franchises Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit of up to $100,000 for 25% of the franchise fees paid or incurred by a veteran for the purchase of a franchise.

Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide information about the tax credit allowed by this Act to veterans service organizations and veteran advocacy groups.

Date: 2013-05-22
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Spouses of Heroes Education Act - Entitles to post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance the spouse (under current law, only the child) of a person who, on or after September 11, 2001, dies in the line of duty while serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces. Terminates such spouse's entitlement on the earlier of: (1) the date that is 15 years after the date on which the member died, and (2) the date of the spouse's remarriage.

Requires an individual entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Legal Support Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide support to at least one university law school program that is designed to provide legal assistance to veterans.

Allows programs of university law schools which may receive support under this Act to include those that assist veterans with: (1) filing and appealing claims for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary; and (2) such other civil, criminal, and family legal matters as considered appropriate.

Permits the support provided to a program to include financial support.

Limits the total amount of financial support provided in any fiscal year to $1 million.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Benefits Claims Faster Filing Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to post in a conspicuous place in each VA regional office and claims intake facility and on the VA website information on: (1) the average processing time for fully developed and not fully developed VA benefits claims submitted in specified forms, and (2) the percentage of such claims filed by specified methods for which benefits are awarded.

Requires the Secretary to notify each person submitting a claim for a VA benefit of such information and of the person's eligibility to receive up to an extra year of benefit payments if the person files a claim that is fully developed.

Requires the notice information to be updated at least quarterly.

Date: 2013-06-12
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for a certain four-year period, to require training establishments applying for state approval of on-the-job training programs to certify that the wages to be paid an eligible veteran or person upon entrance into training will be increased in regular periodic increments until, by the last full month of the training period, they will be at least 75% (currently 85%) of the wages paid for the job for which such eligible veteran or person is being trained.

Requires the Secretary to enter into agreements with the heads of other federal departments and agencies to operate similar on-the-job training programs to train eligible veterans or persons to perform skills necessary for employment by the department or agency operating the program.

Extends from November 30 through December 31, 2016, the requirement of a reduced pension ($90 per month) for veterans (with neither spouse nor child) or surviving spouses (with no child) covered by Medicaid plans under title XIX of the Social Security Act for services furnished by nursing facilities.

Date: 2013-06-25
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Travel Tax Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow veterans a deduction from gross income, up to $400 a year, for their travel expenses, including those of a family member, to a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center for treatment related to a service-connected disability or for an examination related to a claim for disability compensation or a pension.

Date: 2013-06-27
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing for acts of valor during the Civil War.

Date: 2013-06-27
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during and as part of any electronic process for the filing of applications for benefits provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to: (1) notify each claimant or claimant representative that application services may be available from veterans service organizations (VSOs), and (2) provide such claimant or representative with a list of such VSOs.

Date: 2013-07-15
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to accept additional documentation for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a coastwise merchant seaman during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such documentation to include Social Security Administration (SSA) records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, documents, or other official employment records.

Requires the Secretary, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period, to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for or discharging from the merchant marine.

Considers any service so recognized as active-duty service for purposes of veterans' burial benefits. Makes such veterans eligible for any appropriate military medals, ribbons, and decorations. Requires the Secretary to verify that an individual performed such service under honorable conditions without regard to their sex, age, or disability during the service period.

Date: 2013-07-24
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Helping Heroes Fly Act - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) to develop and implement a process to ease travel and to the extent possible provide expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans, and their accompanying family members or nonmedical attendants.

Requires the Assistant Secretary also to maintain an operations center to provide for the movement of such members and veterans through screening before boarding a domestic or foreign passenger aircraft.

Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish and publish certain protocols for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans or their family members and others to contact the operations center to request expedited screening services for the member or veteran.

Date: 2013-07-25
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Transportation and public works
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on November 18, 2013. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act - Authorizes the appropriate federal official (either the Secretary of Veterans Affairs [VA] or the Secretary of the Army) to reconsider a decision to inter or honor the memory of a person in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery upon receiving information that such person may have committed a federal or state capital crime but was not convicted by reason of unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution.

Requires such official, upon finding, after an opportunity for a hearing, that the person committed but was not convicted of such crime, to provide notice to the individual's next of kin or other person authorized to arrange burial or memorialization of the deceased person of the decision to disinter such person's remains or remove a memorial headstone or marker. Allows such next of kin or other person 60 days to file a notice of disagreement, which shall initiate appellate review. Authorizes the appropriate federal official, when a decision becomes final, to disinter the remains or remove the memorial headstone or marker.

Modifies the exception to the prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery System or Arlington National Cemetery of a person convicted of a federal or state capital crime to require receipt of written notice of a conviction before interment or memorialization takes place (currently, receipt of such notice is required before the appropriate federal official approves an application for interment or memorialization).

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) to disinter the remains of Michael LaShawn Anderson from Fort Custer National Cemetery (Michigan); (2) to notify his next of kin of the impending disinterment; and (3) upon disinterment, to relinquish the remains to the next of kin or, if the next of kin of record is unavailable, arrange for the appropriate disposition of the remains.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Includes among the circumstances under which the federal government shall not be entitled to recover a portion of the value of state home facilities that received a grant for, but that the state has ceased to operate for, furnishing domiciliary or nursing home care to veterans the provision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of a contract or grant for veterans' residential care in such facilities.

Date: 2013-09-24
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Outreach Enhancement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year program of outreach to veterans to increase: (1) their access and use of federal, state, and local programs providing compensation and other benefits for service in the Armed Forces; and (2) their awareness of and eligibility for such programs. Allows the Secretary, under the program, to enter into agreements with other federal and state agencies and specified authorities and commissions to carry out projects to further such purposes.

Date: 2013-09-27
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Family Relief Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay temporary (not to exceed six months) dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to the surviving spouse of a veteran if, at the time of death, the veteran was in receipt of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability rated as total for at least one year preceding the veteran's death.

Authorizes the payment to such survivor, for the same period, of any veteran's pension that the deceased was receiving at the time of death, without regard to the annual income and net worth of the surviving spouse.

Allows a surviving spouse who is entitled to pension or DIC under any other VA provision to be paid the amount by which such pension or DIC exceeds the amount of pension paid under this Act.

Date: 2013-10-16
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Improved Compensation for Hearing Loss Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to the congressional veterans committees on actions taken to implement the findings and recommendations included in the 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies entitled "Noise and Military Service: Implications for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus."

Requires the Secretary's report to include an evaluation of the extent to which veterans who had a military occupational specialty that is not included on the Duty Military Occupational Specialty Noise Exposure Listing are precluded from receiving VA benefits related to hearing loss.

Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on joint VA-Department of Defense (DOD) programs concerning the prevention, early detection, and treatment of hearing loss of members of the Armed Forces and veterans, as well as related matters.

Date: 2013-10-28
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Expands the entitlement of disabled veterans and members of the Armed Forces to automobiles and other conveyances to: (1) allow two replacements of such automobiles and conveyances; (2) allow unlimited replacements if the automobile or other conveyance was destroyed due to a natural or other disaster and through no fault of the veteran or member; and (3) increase the maximum amount allowed for an automobile or conveyance to the lesser of its total purchase price or $30,000 (currently, $18,900).

Date: 2013-10-28
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires premium rates and cash, loan, paid-up, and extended values for service-disabled veterans life insurance to be based on the Commissioners 2001 Standard Ordinary Mortality Table (currently, the Commissioners 1941 Standard Ordinary Table of Mortality).

Date: 2013-10-28
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to:

 select a medical center in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to serve as the national center for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of descendants (i.e., a biological child, grandchild, or great-grandchild) of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to that exposure; establish an advisory board to advise the center, to determine which health conditions result from exposure to toxic substances, and to study and evaluate cases of exposure of current and former members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances; and establish an Office of Extramural Research to conduct research on wounds, illnesses, injuries, and other conditions suffered by active members of the Armed Forces resulting from exposure to toxic substances and to assist the advisory board in considering claims of exposure to toxic substances. Extends eligibility for medical care and caregiver assistance to descendants of a veteran who was exposed to toxic substances while serving as a member of the Armed Forces if: (1) the descendant has a health condition resulting from exposure to toxic substances and is homebound due to such condition, and (2) the veteran has or had the same health condition.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which not less than 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of disability.

Directs the VA Secretary, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the DOD Secretary to jointly conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed at members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on incidents of exposure to toxic substances, health conditions resulting form such exposure, and the potential long-term effects of such exposure.

Date: 2013-10-29
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2017 the work opportunity tax credit for hiring a qualified veteran (defined as an unemployed veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving food stamp assistance and who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability), (2) revise tax credit eligibility requirements for documenting the status of veterans and their receipt of unemployment compensation, and (3) extend the payroll tax offset for such credit to certain for-profit employers.

 Directs the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to make annual reports on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this Act in increasing the employment of veterans.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay: (1) each U.S. possession (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a mirror code tax system amounts equal to the loss to such possession due to this Act; and (2) each U.S. possession without such a tax system an amount estimated to equal the loss to such possession that would have occurred due to this Act if such a tax system had been in effect in such possession.

Date: 2013-10-30
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
United We Stand to Hire Veterans Act - Requires the Secretary of Labor, in conjunction with the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), to consolidate government Internet portals on employment for current and former members of the Armed Forces into one comprehensive portal for the purposes of connecting members who are seeking employment with employers who want to employ them.

Authorizes the Secretaries, in order to expedite implementation of such consolidated portal, to carry out pilot projects to evaluate the feasibility and advisability of various portal options by continuing or modifying existing programs.

Date: 2013-10-31
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Education Counseling Act of 2013 - Modifies provisions relating to educational and vocational counseling for veterans to provide a program of counseling services to be known as the Academic Counseling and Educational Information Service. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) make available to veterans information about the definitions, eligibility requirements, and services provided by such counseling and how such counseling services differ from those provided as part of rehabilitation and readjustment assistance programs for veterans; and (2) maintain a website on which a person is able to request such counseling services.

Establishes as the primary goal of such counseling services to provide individuals with assistance in: (1) pursuing postsecondary education and training opportunities, (2) obtaining information about and data on such opportunities, (3) selecting a program of education or training, and (4) addressing other needs relating to education.

Date: 2013-11-12
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemembers Transition Improvement Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing information on members of the Armed Forces who are separating from service to state veterans agencies to facilitate the transition of such members to civilian life. Authorizes such agencies to share such information with appropriate county veterans service offices.

Date: 2013-11-12
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretaries of the military departments to ensure that information concerning the availability of mental health services to members of the Armed Forces (members), as well as privacy rights related to the receipt of such services, is provided to: (1) each officer candidate during initial training, (2) each recruit during basic training, and (3) each other member at such time as the Secretary of Defense (DOD) considers appropriate.

Requires each department Secretary to: (1) seek to eliminate perceived stigma associated with seeking and receiving mental health services, and (2) promote the use of such services on a basis comparable to the use of other medical and health services.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that such information is also provided to current members, including members of the reserve components.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude as family income for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing assistance purposes any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) payments made to veterans in need of regular aid and attendance for expenses related to such aid and attendance.

Prohibits, in determining the monthly rental assistance payment for low-income families, the amount for tenant-paid utilities from exceeding the appropriate utility allowance for that family unit size as determined by the public housing agency (PHA), regardless of the size of the unit leased by the family. Requires the PHA, upon request by a family that includes a person with disabilities, an elderly family, or a family that includes a person less than 18 years old, to approve a higher utility allowance, except that in the case of a family with a disabled person the PHA shall approve the higher amount only when needed as a reasonable accommodation to make the unit accessible to and usable by that person.

Directs the HUD Secretary to regularly publish data regarding local utility consumption and costs in order to establish appropriate allowances for tenant-paid utilities for assisted families.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Housing and community development
Servicemember Education Reform and Vocational Enhancement Act of 2013 or the SERVE Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or a state approving agency (SAA) to approve, for purposes of veterans' educational assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a course that leads to an associate or higher degree only when such course is an eligible program offered by an institution of higher education that has entered into and is complying with a program approved by the Secretary of Education. Provides conditions under which the VA Secretary or an SAA may approve a course that does not lead to an associate or higher degree or is not approved by the Secretary of Education.

Requires educational institutions that enroll veterans to: (1) provide, upon the request of the VA Secretary, information about their educational programs, including accreditation, tuition, and graduation rates for disclosure to veterans; and (2) provide academic or career counseling to such veterans.

Requires each SAA, as a condition of receiving VA reimbursement for program approval activities, to conduct education and outreach activities to assist veterans in making well-informed choices about their education and successful transition into an educational environment. Requires: (1) SAAs to conduct annual audits of educational institutions that have VA program participants, and (2) the VA Secretary to conduct mandatory compliance reviews of such institutions.

Requires the VA Secretary, in cooperation with specified federal officials and state agencies, to commence a five-state pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of developing policy, processes, and best practices to: (1) ensure the availability of educational assistance providing on-job or vocational training for military personnel who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, and (2) encourage veterans to pursue such educational assistance. Requires the VA Secretary, under such pilot program, to conduct outreach to members of the Armed Forces and veterans on the availability of such educational assistance, the benefits of such assistance, and the process for obtaining such assistance.

Requires reports by the VA Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) under the post 9/11 educational assistance program to: (1) be disaggregated by for-profit and not-for-profit educational institutions; (2) include all substantiated reports of misrepresentation, waste, fraud, abuse by educational institutions at which veterans are enrolled in an educational program administered by VA or DOD; and (3) provide a list of all previously approved educational institutions serving veterans that are no longer in compliance with VA or DOD requirements for educational assistance programs.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Support Earned Recognition for Veterans Act or the SERVe Act - Excludes from the definitions of "active duty," "active duty for training," and "inactive duty training," for veteran benefit or employment preference purposes, any service performed at a preparatory school of a service academy by a student who is not otherwise a member of the Armed Forces.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on matters relating to the identification, claiming, and interring of unclaimed remains of veterans, including: (1) estimating the number of unclaimed remains; (2) assessing the effectiveness of the procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for claiming and interring unclaimed remains of veterans; (3) assessing state and local laws that affect the ability of the Secretary to identify, claim, and inter such remains; and (4) recommending appropriate legislative or administrative action.

 .

Date: 2013-11-21
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Retirement Restoration Act - Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat a foreign corporation managed and controlled, directly or indirectly, primarily in the United States as a domestic corporation for U.S. tax purposes if the stock of such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market or the aggregate gross assets of such corporation during the taxable year or any preceding taxable year is $50 million or more. 

Date: 2013-12-17
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Repeals a provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

Date: 2013-12-18
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Keeping Our Promise to Our Military Heroes Act - Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers who are claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to include their social security number on their tax returns.

Date: 2013-12-19
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Provides that the reduction in the annual adjustment to the retired pay of members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62 shall not apply to the retirement pay of members retired for a physical disability and to retirement pay used to compute benefit plan annuities of survivors of deceased members.

Date: 2013-12-19
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), not later than one year after the enactment of this Act, to establish and maintain a registry to be known as the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Health Registry (Registry) containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada (Gagetown), during the period beginning on January 1, 1956, and ending on December 31, 2006, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability that may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide the examination, as well as consultation and counseling regarding examination results to the service member and counseling and consultation to family members of a deceased service member.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Gagetown; (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling; (3) provide for a study by an independent entity, not affiiated with the VA, on the potential exposure of individuals to toxic substances or environmental hazards related to service at Gagetown; and (4) submit to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs an annual report on the Registry.

Date: 2013-12-20
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Uphold Our Promise to Veterans Act - Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

Suspends delivery of defense articles and services to the Government of Egypt until democratic elections and a peaceful transfer of power have taken place. Prohibits assistance to the Governments of Libya and Pakistan and to any country where a U.S. diplomatic facility has been attacked until the President certifies to Congress that such country has cooperated with investigations into such attack and have taken steps to prevent any future attack.

Authorizes the sale of 8% of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 8% of National Forest System land.  Requires proceeds from the sale of such land to be used to reduce the annual federal budget deficit or the outstanding national debt. Terminates the authority for the sale of such lands when sales proceeds equal $3.5 million or at the end of FY2024, whichever occurs first.

Date: 2014-01-15
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honor Our Promise Act - Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers who are claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to include the name and taxpayer identification number (e.g., social security number) of their qualifying child on their tax returns.

Date: 2014-01-30
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Streamlining Services for Older Veterans Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include status as a veteran among the categories of greatest social need based on noneconomic factors.

Requires state and area plans to include information on how the state and area agencies on: (1) aging will engage in outreach to veterans eligible for services under such Act, and (2) effective and efficient procedures for the coordination of services provided under that Act with services provided to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other providers.

Date: 2014-02-03
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) work with federal agencies, states, and such experts as the Secretary considers appropriate to develop and implement federal and state standards that protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension for a non-service-connected disability or death or for service on the basis of need for regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or otherwise unlawful practices; and (2) submit such standards to specified congressional committees not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Requires the Comptroller General: (1) within one year after enactment of this Act, to report standards that would be effective in protecting such individuals if the Secretary fails to submit such standards within such 180 days; and (2) not later than 540 days after enactment of this Act, to complete a study on standards implemented under this Act and report the findings to such committees.

Date: 2014-02-04
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act - Revises or adds provisions concerning the submission of veterans' claims for benefits administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including by:

 modifying the Transition Assistance Program to enable online participation; adding a requirement to encourage claimants to use appropriate forms; requiring specified communications to users of the eBenefits website; extending through FY2020 VA authority for the retroactive dating of awards upon the filing of fully developed claims; requiring claim decisions to explain the benefits of filing claim appeals within 180 days; requiring the use of a specified VA form in regional offices for filing notices of disagreement with claim decisions; and requiring hearings before the Board of Veterans' Appeals to be conducted, as the Board considers appropriate or, upon request by an appellant, as the appellant considers appropriate, in person or through picture and voice transmission by electronic or other means. Revises or adds provisions concerning the practices of VA regional offices, including by:

 requiring the Comptroller General to complete an audit of Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) regional offices, requiring the VA Secretary to complete a study on service-connected disabilities that worsen with age, extending the authority for the performance of medical disability examinations by contract physicians, requiring the Secretary to develop and implement a plan to establish a uniform mail processing and scanning system throughout the regional offices, requiring the VA Inspector General to conduct a review of the practices of regional offices regarding the use of suspense dates during the disability claim assessment process, requiring the Secretary to submit semiannual reports on progress in implementing the Veterans Benefits Management System, requiring the Secretary to submit an annual report on VBA capacity to process benefits claims, requiring the Secretary to include in each Monday Morning Workload Report the number of claims for benefits that have been received by a regional office and that are pending a decision, and requiring the Secretary to make the VA reports entitled "Appeals Pending" and "Appeals Workload By Station" available to the public on a VA website. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Commissioner of Social Security, and the Archivist of the United States to appoint individuals to act as liaisons with the VA to expedite the timely provision to the VA Secretary of information required to process veterans benefits claims.

Requires the DOD and VA Secretaries to jointly submit a report that sets forth a time line with milestones for achieving interoperability between DOD's and VA's electronic health records systems.

Date: 2014-03-06
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Hiring Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer a 50% reduction in the rate of the employment tax for wages paid to a veteran who served on active duty in the Armed Forces and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Makes such reduced rate effective during the period of four consecutive calendar quarters beginning with the first day of the first such calendar quarter beginning after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Veterans Entrepreneurship Act - Amends the Small Business Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) from assessing a guarantee fee in connection with a loan made under the SBA Express Program to a veteran or spouse of a veteran on or after October 1, 2014.

Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on: (1) the feasibility of providing financial planning and counseling to owners of small business concerns who are members of a reserve component prior to deployment; (2) the level of outreach to and consultation with female veterans by women's business centers and veterans business outreach centers; and (3) the Military Reservists Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which shall include a discussion of SBA outreach efforts to increase participation, the number of loans made, and an analysis of the effectiveness of, and recommendations for improving, the Program.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Commerce
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2014, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.

Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.

Date: 2014-04-28
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Appeals Improvement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure that not fewer than three decision review officers are employed at each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regional office within one year after enactment of this Act; and (2) submit a notice to the House and Senate veterans' affairs committees when the number of such officers at a regional office declines to fewer than three, including a plan to increase the number to at least three and a description of the measures the Secretary plans to take to ensure that appeals before the Board of Veterans' Appeals are disposed of in a timely manner while fewer than three officers are employed at such office.

Directs the Secretary to report to such committees on the ability of the Board to conduct hearings and dispose of appeals in a timely manner. Requires such report to include: (1) whether the number of members of the Board is sufficient; and (2) an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of increasing the number of decision review officers by 10%, 15%, and 25%.

Date: 2014-05-07
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act - Amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is made available without charge to any U.S. citizen or person domiciled in the United States who has been medically determined to be permanently disabled, to be made available: (1) to any veteran with a service-connected disability, and (2) for the lifetime of the passholder.

Date: 2014-05-07
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Gold Star Fathers Act of 2014 - Includes as a preference eligible for federal employment purposes a parent (currently, the mother only) of either an individual who lost his or her life under honorable conditions while serving in the Armed Forces during a war, in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or during the period beginning April 28, 1952, and ending July 1, 1955, or a service-connected permanently and totally disabled veteran, if: (1) the spouse of such parent is totally and permanently disabled; or (2) such parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or legally separated from his or her spouse.

Date: 2014-05-13
Topic: Defense (Other)
Subject: Government operations and politics