VA Claims Efficiency Through Information Act of 2013

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2189) to establish a commission or task force to evaluate the backlog of disability claims of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add any extraneous material they may have on H.R. 2189.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most challenging issues facing the Department of Veterans Affairs and the veterans it serves is the huge disability backlog. According to last week's backlog report, there were 717,000 claims for disability compensation waiting for a decision, and almost 412,000, or 57 percent, of those claims were above the Secretary's stated processing goal of 125 days. In short, 57 percent of VA's claims work is currently backlogged. Although I am glad we have seen some progress of late, a 57 percent backlog is not acceptable. If we are going to reach the Secretary's goal of ending the backlog by 2015, we will all need a focused effort, and the provisions of this bill will help achieve that goal.

H.R. 2189, as amended, reflects the committee's bipartisan efforts to bring additional transparency to this very troubling and decades-old problem. I know that other Members are here to provide a brief description of the bill that they have sponsored, or those who have worked closely on the legislation, but I want to highlight some of the key provisions.

Title I would establish a commission or a task force to evaluate the backlog of disability claims and the appeals process related to those claims. Time is of the essence, so the commission would be required to submit a series of interim reports to Congress and a final report to the President and to the Congress 180 days after the commission's first meeting. The purpose of the task force is very simple: we need the best and the brightest minds to put forward workable solutions that can be implemented immediately. Even though VA has made recent progress, it is still well short of its own goals. We must not take our foot off the gas when it comes to ending the backlog once and for all, and ideas coming from this focused task force will assist in that effort.

Title I of the bill would also direct VA to provide a supplemental report to its strategic plan to eliminate the compensation claims backlog within 60 days of enactment and every 120 days thereafter until May 25, 2015. The purpose of this provision is to hold VA accountable for the full execution of its own strategic plan. Too often, VA has made lofty promises, and its efforts have fallen short. This provision, authored by our majority whip, will verify progress every single step of the way.

Title II of the bill would extend and expand VA's authority to use contract examinations during its disability examination process. VA's use of contract providers serves two purposes. First, because quality and timely exams are an essential component of the claims process, having additional providers to assist in the effort is critical. Second, use of non-VA examiners frees up the time that VA medical professionals can spend treating veterans at clinics and hospitals.

Finally, title III would require the Secretary of Defense to catalog all Vietnam-era ships as serving in either ``blue'' or ``brown'' water for purposes of awarding service-connection on a presumptive basis to veterans potentially exposed to agent orange. Currently, only veterans serving in the inland waterways, or ``brown'' waters, of Vietnam are eligible for compensation on a presumptive basis. The problem is that some vessels which served offshore in the ``blue'' waters of Vietnam sent smaller vessels ashore. Without an accurate cataloging of these visits, compensation may unfairly be denied to deserving veterans. This provision will assist VA in making accurate decisions in this sensitive area.

Enactment of H.R. 2189 will not completely solve the claims backlog, but I do think it is a good step in the right direction. I thank the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Runyan, and his ranking member, Ms. Titus, for their hard work in moving the bill through the subcommittee as well. Everybody on the committee worked together to bring this piece of legislation to the floor tonight.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan), who chairs the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kinderhook, New York (Mr. Gibson).

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the 12th District of Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority whip, who has been a strong supporter of veterans issues in this legislative body.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2189 is a strong step forward in helping to resolve the severe backlog of disability claims that exist today at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I thank all the members of our committee for their bipartisan work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join us in passing H.R. 2189, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2189, as amended, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2189, as amended, is a bipartisan omnibus bill addressing veterans' disability benefits and compensation. This bill includes provisions from nine other measures. These bills are part of the slate of commonsense legislation introduced in May of this year. It provides the Department of Veterans Affairs with additional tools and reforms to assist in eliminating the backlog.

Included are provisions from H.R. 2086, the Pay As You Rate Act, introduced by the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee ranking member, Representative Titus of Nevada; H.R. 1809, the Faster Filing Act, introduced by Representative O'Rourke from Texas; H.R. 1623, the Claims Efficiency Through Information Act, introduced by Representative Negrete McLeod of California; H.R. 1759, introduced by Representative

Ruiz of California; H.R. 1805, the Veterans Claims Efficiency Through Automation Act, introduced by Representative Kuster of New Hampshire; H.R. 1824, the VA Regional Office Accountability Act, introduced by Representative Meng of New York; H.R. 1521, the Disabled Veterans Red Tape Reduction Act, introduced by Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of New York; H.R. 864, which will designate at least one city in the United States each year as an ``American World War II City,'' introduced by Representative McIntyre of North Carolina; and H.R. 1288, the World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act, introduced by Representative Butterfield of North Carolina.

Collectively, H.R. 2189, as amended, gives VA real, useful tools they can begin using now. These tools will assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in making significant progress on its goal of eliminating the backlog by 2015.

The legislation will require VA to pay veterans more quickly. It will provide them with information that may lead to veterans receiving a quicker decision on their claims. It will formulate a task force to attack the growing appeals backlog, and it will require the VA to start tracking information that will help them better understand the claims inventory.

I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan effort to create a smart, pragmatic solution. Together we will help VA provide better benefits and services to our veterans. I also want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for their work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2189, as amended.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Negrete McLeod).

Mrs. NEGRETE McLEOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2189, which includes provisions from the VA Claims Efficiency Through Information Act of 2013, which I introduced in April, that will require VA to track the time spent evaluating each medical condition in a disability compensation claim. VA would have to report the number of completed claims by region and by medical condition for the current and preceding month and year.

As Veterans Day approaches, we should remember veterans who are struggling to find work while living with service-connected disabilities. VA compensation is needed so veterans can support themselves and avoid homelessness.

The VA's legacy paper system has made it difficult to process claims of older veterans who need additional compensation later in life. Claims of younger veterans can also take longer to process because they have multiple medical conditions.

The claims backlog is a serious problem for the VA and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Since July, the Los Angeles regional office has reduced the average time to process claims from 600 days to 400 days. The VA still has a long way to go to meet its own goal of 125 days, and the backlog will not end overnight and may even go up as more men and women apply for benefits.

No one is looking at directing blame but, instead, searching for a way to work together, and Congress and the VA must be willing to explore new methods for delivering services to veterans in the 21st century for the growing veteran population.

I thank Mr. Miller for allowing my bill to be included in his.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I would encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2189, as amended.

Once again, I want to thank Chairman Miller and his staff for working very diligently on this piece of legislation, along with my staff on the minority side, and for bringing this forward.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Miller for yielding to me.

As chairman of the House Veterans' Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I am keenly aware that one of the most critical issues impacting our Nation's veterans is the severe veterans' claims backlog.

Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported it had a backlog of more than 400,000 veterans' benefits claims as the fiscal year ended in September. This is simply unacceptable. To help speed up the veterans' claims process, we must look at every phase of that process.

One of the first steps in this process is the medical exam to determine benefit eligibility. That is why earlier this year I introduced H.R. 2423, the Disabled Veterans' Access to Medical Exams Improvement Act, provisions of which are now contained within section 201 of H.R. 2189. This section would extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with private physicians to conduct veterans' medical disability evaluations.

With the passage of this bill, this successful program allowing physicians outside the VA to conduct contract examinations would continue for an additional 3 years, until 2016. This would allow VA to more quickly evaluate veterans' disabilities and facilitate quicker access to the care they need.

Second, this bill would also extend license portability to contract examination providers, meaning that physicians with an active State license may provide C&P exams in other States because they are working on behalf of the Federal Government. Although the VA and DOD already provide license portability for physicians working directly for them, this authority is not extended to contract examination providers. This provision is designed to facilitate the C&P examination process by allowing contract physicians the flexibility to travel and assist in areas that are experiencing lengthy delays in scheduling examinations.

Finally, this piece of legislation would also expand the number of VA regional offices that would utilize contract examinations from 10 to 15. These medical examinations are a key component of the disability claims process. By expanding the authority and scope of the contract examinations process, veterans would receive the necessary medical evidence for their claim in a timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.

This would reduce overall claim development and processing time, resulting in the faster issuance of a final decision for the claim.

I support H.R. 2189, as amended to include my provision, and encourage all Members to support this important bill for veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Michaud for yielding to me.

As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I strongly support the bill before us, the omnibus bill, H.R. 2189.

This legislation includes my bill, H.R. 2086, the Pay As You Rate Act, which would require the VA to pay benefits to veterans as individual components of their claims are reviewed rather than at the completion of the entire claim.

Currently, veterans typically receive payments when all medical conditions within a claim are fully adjudicated. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan average 8.5 components in their claims. While some of these are very complex and time-consuming, other components are simpler.

The Pay As You Rate Act will require the VA to pay veterans as individual medical conditions are adjudicated, providing tens of thousands of veterans and their families much-needed financial support while the VA continues to work on the more complex aspects of their claims.

I thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and Chairman Runyan for including my provision and other Democratic bills in this legislation.

Collectively, the legislation before us today should assist VA in its continued effort to transform the claims process from mountains of paper to a more efficient, effective electronic system. In just the past few months, the VA has made great strides in serving our Nation's heroes by reducing the benefits backlog. The VA has set ambitious goals, and Congress should work to support those efforts. More needs to be done, and it needs to be done quickly to ensure that veterans receive the benefits they have earned in a timely fashion.

I am also pleased to have worked with Chairman Miller on some of the task force provisions of this legislation. The provision that I added at the full committee markup would improve the proposed task force by including a subcommittee to look at the appeals process. While the VA is making significant progress in reducing the backlog, it is important that we are not creating a new backlog of appeals in the years to come. This subcommittee would be charged with making recommendations aimed at preventing that future backlog of appeals.

So I thank you, and I support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Michaud for their leadership on the committee and their commitment to maintaining strong oversight over the VA and their goal to reduce the backlog.

During my time on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have enjoyed the strong bipartisanship and the committee's dedication to get results for our veterans. Whether it is between Ranking Member Kirkpatrick and me on the Oversight Committee or Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Michaud on the full committee, we all share the same desire to help our veterans and do everything we can to help the VA operate more efficiently and effectively.

Fortunately for our veterans, this desire to help goes beyond the Veterans' Affairs Committee and is present in the entire House of Representatives. Earlier this year, I, along with 150 Members of the House, sent a letter to the President urging his immediate action to reduce this backlog.

Today, the House will have another opportunity to show its unity for veterans in passing H.R. 2189. This bill will aid the VA by establishing a task force to evaluate the backlog of veterans' disability claims, ensuring the VA will find innovative ways to reduce the backlog.

Currently, there are over 400,000 claims that have been waiting for over 125 days to process.

Although the VA has made some progress recently, the pace is still too slow for many of our veterans waiting for their claims to be processed.

As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I am proud to join my colleagues on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee to urge the passage of H.R. 2189. There are nearly 400,000 veterans in Colorado, and these men and women need Washington to step up and help the VA to reduce the backlog.