S.Amdt. 3069

1. Adds SEC. 1084. PLAN TO PARTNER WITH STATE AND LOCAL ENTITIES TO ADDRESS VETERANS CLAIMS BACKLOG at the end of subtitle H of title X

   Adds a section

   In S. 3254 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (2) to strongly urge the Department of Defense to investigate innovative mechanisms (subject to all appropriate security requirements) to access to the pool of talent of non- United States citizens with advanced scientific and technical degrees from United States institutions of higher education, especially in those scientific and technical areas that are most vital to the national defense (such as those identified by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Armed Forces).

   Inserted: SEC. 1084. PLAN TO PARTNER WITH STATE AND LOCAL ENTITIES TO ADDRESS VETERANS CLAIMS BACKLOG.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs defines any claim for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as backlogged if the claim has been pending for 125 days or more.

   Inserted: (2) According to the Department, as of November 24, 2012, there were 899,540 pending claims, with 604,583 (67.2 percent) of those considered backlogged.

   Inserted: (3) The Department's data further shows that, on November 22, 2010, there were 749,934 claims pending, with only 244,129 (32.6 percent) of those considered backlogged.

   Inserted: (4) During the past two years, both the overall number of backlogged claims and the percentage of all pending claims that are backlogged have doubled.

   Inserted: (5) In order to reduce the claims backlog at regional offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Texas, the Texas Veterans Commission announced two initiatives on July 19, 2012, to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs--

   Inserted: (A) to assist veterans whose claims are already backlogged to complete development of those claims; and

   Inserted: (B) to help veterans who are filing new claims to fully develop those claims prior to filing them, shortening the processing time required.

   Inserted: (6) The common goal of the two initiatives of the Texas Veterans Commission, called the "Texas State Strike Force Team" and the "Fully Developed Claims Team Initiative", is to reduce the backlog of claims pending in Texas by 17,000 within one year.

   Inserted: (7) During the first two months of these new initiatives, the Texas Veterans Commission helped veterans complete development of more than 2,500 backlogged claims and assisted veterans with the submission of more than 800 fully developed claims.

   Inserted: (8) In testimony before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives on September 21, 2012, Diana Rubens, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations of the Veterans Benefits Administration, indicated that the Department of Veterans Affairs has experienced positive outcomes in projects with the Texas Veterans Commission, stating that both Veterans Service Organizations "and state and county service officers . . . are important partners in VBA's transformation to better serve Veterans.".

   Show 13 more inserted paragraphsShow less

   Inserted: (9) At the same hearing, Mr. John Limpose, director of the regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Waco, Texas, testified that the "TVC is working very, very well" with regional offices of the Department in Texas, calling the Texas Veterans Commission a "very positive story that we can branch out into . . . all of our stakeholders.".

   Inserted: (b) Report.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a plan to reduce the current backlog of pending claims for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary and more efficiently process claims for such benefits in the future.

   Inserted: (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

   Inserted: (A) A summary of all steps the Secretary has taken thus far to partner with non-Federal entities in support of efforts to reduce the backlog described in paragraph (1) and more efficiently process claims described in such paragraph in the future.

   Inserted: (B) A plan for the Secretary to partner with non-Federal entities, and when appropriate, provide financial support to non-Federal entities, to support efforts to reduce such backlog and more efficiently process such claims in the future, including the following:

   Inserted: (i) State and local agencies relating to veterans affairs.

   Inserted: (ii) Organizations recognized by the Secretary for the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.

   Inserted: (iii) Such other relevant government and non-government entities as the Secretary considers appropriate.

   Inserted: (C) A description of how the Secretary intends to leverage partnerships with non-Federal entities described in subparagraph (B) to eliminate such backlog, including through increasing the percentage of claims that are fully developed prior to submittal to the Secretary and ensuring that new claims are fully developed prior to their submittal.

   Inserted: (D) A description of what steps the Secretary has taken and will take--

   Inserted: (i) to expedite the processing of claims that are already fully developed at the time of submittal; and

   Inserted: (ii) to support initiatives by non-Federal entities described in subparagraph (B) to help claimants gather and submit necessary evidence for claims that were previously filed but require further development.

   Original wording

   At the end of subtitle H of title X, add the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed