Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020
Latest action · Sep 23, 2020 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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.
- IntroducedJul 27, 2020
- Passed HouseSep 22, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to publish on its website the disability benefit questionnaire forms for non-VA medical providers submitting evidence regarding a disability of a claimant for purposes of VA benefits.
If the VA updates the questionnaire form, previous versions of the form filed by claimants must be accepted for up to one year after the form was updated.
The VA may waive interagency approval processes required to approve a modification to a form if such requirement applies by reason of the form being made public on the website as required by the bill.
The Inspector General of the VA must, through 2026, annually report on the use of such forms.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 27, 2020 to Sep 22, 2020; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | David P. Roe | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-VA | Elaine G. Luria | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-MD | C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | Jul 29, 2020 | |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Jul 30, 2020 | |
| R-NE | Jeff Fortenberry | Aug 14, 2020 | |
| D-NV | Steven Horsford | Aug 14, 2020 | |
| D-MN | Dean Phillips | Sep 11, 2020 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Sep 22, 2020 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jul 27, 2020Markup Jul 30, 2020 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Sep 16, 2020 | |
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Sep 23, 2020 |
Actions 11
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 23, 2020Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Sep 22, 2020Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 22, 2020Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4685-4687)
- Sep 22, 2020DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 7795.
- Sep 22, 2020Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4685)
- Sep 22, 2020Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 16, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Jul 30, 2020Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 30, 2020Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Jul 27, 2020Introduced in House
- Jul 27, 2020Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4685–H4687Text printed H4685 | Andy Barr R-KY, David P. Roe R-TN, Elaine G. Luria D-VA, Mark Takano D-CA | Sep 22, 2020 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Sep 9, 2020H.R. 7795, Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on July 30, 2020
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 132, July 27, 2020, page H3881.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 4412 | Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020 | Identical bill | Aug 4, 2020 |
| HR 7952 | Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020 | Related bill | Oct 6, 2020 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- 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.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 23, 2020Referred in Senate
- Sep 22, 2020Engrossed in House
- Jul 27, 2020Introduced in House
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
