VA Beneficiary Debt Collection Improvement Act
Latest action · May 4, 2021 Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 6.
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.
- IntroducedApr 30, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
VA Beneficiary Debt Collection Improvement Act
This bill addresses the administration of debt related to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and benefits.
Specifically, the bill prohibits an individual from incurring a debt to the United States that arises from participation in a VA benefits program and is attributable to the failure of the VA to process information according to its timeliness standards.
The VA must notify an individual if it has made an overpayment to the individual and include in the notice information on the right to dispute the overpayment or request a waiver of indebtedness. The VA is prohibited from taking action regarding an overpayment until 90 days after the notice is issued, except in specified circumstances.
The VA is prohibited from charging interest or administrative costs for debts related to its disability compensation program, pension program, or educational assistance program.
The bill extends from 180 days to one year the deadline by which an individual may request a waiver for relief from paying a debt related to VA benefits.
Additionally, the VA is prohibited from seeking to recover a debt if it determines the cost to the VA to recover the debt would exceed the amount of the debt itself.
The VA must establish an administrative process for the dispute of a debt's existence or the amount of the debt. The VA is prohibited from deducting from an individual's VA benefits to offset a debt if the amount of the debt is being disputed.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 30, 2021.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TX | Troy E. Nehls | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
Committees 1
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 Apr 30, 2021Markup May 5, 2021 |
| Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee | Referred May 3, 2021Discharged May 4, 2021 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 4, 2021Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Discharged.
- May 4, 2021Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- May 4, 2021Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 6.
- May 3, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 30, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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
- Jun 11, 2021H.R. 2935, VA Beneficiary Debt Collection Improvement ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on May 4, 2021
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 75, April 30, 2021, page H2135.
Titles 2
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 processing of veterans benefits by the Departments of Veterans Affairs, to limit the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recover overpayments made by the Department and other amounts owed by individuals to the United States, to improve due process accorded individuals with respect to such recovery, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- VA Beneficiary Debt Collection Improvement Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Debt collection
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Government information and archives
- Health information and medical records
- Performance measurement
- User charges and fees
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' pensions and compensation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced 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.
