Claims Processing Improvement Act of 2013
Latest action · Jun 12, 2013 Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-111.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 9, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
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.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 22, 2013 to Nov 6, 2013.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MT | Jon Tester | May 22, 2013 | |
| D-AK | Mark Begich | Jun 13, 2013 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Jul 15, 2013 | |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Nov 6, 2013 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 12, 2013Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-111.
- May 9, 2013Introduced in Senate
- May 9, 2013Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3338-3341)
- May 9, 2013Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3337-3338)
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2528 | To establish a task force in the Department of Veterans Affairs to assess the retention and training of claims processors. | Related bill | Jul 12, 2013 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative remedies
- Advisory bodies
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Asia
- Conflicts and wars
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Disability and paralysis
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Federal-Indian relations
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Health information and medical records
- Health personnel
- Intergovernmental relations
- Judicial review and appeals
- Marriage and family status
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Mental health
- Military education and training
- Philippines
- Separation, divorce, custody, support
- State and local government operations
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' pensions and compensation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 9, 2013Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.