article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Administration Improvement Act of 2001''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for the timely and accurate processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension. (2) The accuracy of claims processing within the Veterans Benefits Administration has been a subject of concern to veterans, Congress, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. (3) While the Veterans Benefits Administration has reported in the past a 95 percent accuracy rate in processing claims, a new accuracy measurement system known as the Systematic Technical Accuracy Review found that, in 1998 and again in 2000, initial reviews of veterans claims were accurate only 64 percent of the time. (4) The Veterans Benefits Administration could lose up to 30 percent of its workforce to retirement by 2003, making adequate training for claims adjudicators even more necessary to ensure veterans claims are processed efficiently. (5) The Veterans Benefits Administration needs to take more aggressive steps to ensure that veterans claims are processed in an accurate and timely fashion so as to avoid unnecessary delays in providing veterans with compensation and pension benefits. (6) In 2001 the expected appeals processing time for a claim from notice of disagreement to final decision is 621 days. (7) As of September 2001, the Veterans Benefits Administration backlog of pending work was 533,029 claims. SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF PROCESSING OF VETERANS BENEFITS CLAIMS. (a) Plan Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension. (b) Elements.--The plan under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) Mechanisms for the improvement of training of claims adjudicators and for the enhancement of employee accountability standards in order to ensure that initial reviews of claims are accurate and that unnecessary appeals of benefit decisions and delays in benefit payments are avoided. (2) Mechanisms for strengthening the ability of the Veterans Benefits Administration to identify recurring errors in claims adjudications by improving data collection and management relating to-- (A) the human body and impairments common in disability and pension claims; and (B) recurring deficiencies in medical evidence and examinations. (3) Mechanisms for implementing a system for reviewing claims processing accuracy that meets the internal control standard of the Federal Government on separation of duties and the program performance audit standard of the Federal Government on organizational independence. (4) Mechanisms for evaluating the impact of the Training and Performance Support System on the accuracy and consistency of claims processing. (5) Quantifiable goals for each of the mechanisms developed under paragraphs (1) through (4). (c) Consultation.--In developing the plan under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with and obtain the views of veterans organizations, county veteran service associations, and other interested parties. (d) Implementation.--The Secretary shall implement the plan under subsection (a) commencing 60 days after the date of the submittal of the plan under that subsection. (e) Modification.--(1) The Secretary may modify the plan submitted under subsection (a). (2) Any modification under paragraph (1) shall not take effect until 30 days after the date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a notice regarding such modification. (f) Reports.--Not later than January 1, 2003, and every six months thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report assessing implementation of the plan under subsection (a) during the preceding 6 months, including an assessment of whether the goals set forth under subsection (b)(5) are being achieved. (g) Funding.--The Secretary shall carry out the plan under this section in any fiscal year using amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the Veterans Benefits Administration for that fiscal year.
summary: Veterans Benefits Administration Improvement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional veterans' committees, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House (the entities) a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans' compensation and pension. Requires such plan to include the training of claims adjudicators and the enhancement of accountability standards to improve the timeliness and accuracy of such claims processing. Allows for plan modifications, but requires prior notification to the entities followed by a 30-day waiting period. Provides plan funding.