,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eaic  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bd1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,boustany 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 
,mr4 ,mc,allister1 ,mr4 ,scalise1 and   
,mr4 ,richmond7 introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to direct the ,secretary of    
,veterans ,affairs to conduct outreach  
to veterans regarding the effect of     
delayed payments by the ,veterans       
,integrated ,service ,networks and to   
direct the ,secretary to submit to      
,congress an annual report regarding    
such delayed payments4  #a4 ,short title
 ,this ,act may be cited as the         
,veterans' ,credit ,protection ,act4    
#b4 ,outreach to veterans regarding     
effect of delayed payments by ,veterans 
,integrated ,service ,networks  7a7     
,outreach ,the ,secretary of ,veterans  
,affairs shall conduct outreach1        
including through national and local    
veterans service organizations1 to      

inform veterans of how to resolve credit
 issues caused by a delayed payment4    
,the ,secretary shall establish a       
toll-free telephone number for veterans 
to report such credit issues to the     
,veterans ,integrated ,service          
,networks4  7b7 ,annual report  7#a7 ,in
 general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans   
,affairs shall annually submit to       
,congress a report on the effectiveness 
of each ,veterans ,integrated ,service  
,network in providing timely payment of 
a proper invoice by the required payment
 date during both the five-year period  
preceding the date of the report and the
 one-year period preceding such date4   
7#b7 ,matters included ,the reports     
under paragraph 7#a7 shall include1 for 
each period covered by the report1 the  
following3  7,a7 ,the number of veterans
 who contacted the ,secretary regarding 
a delayed payment that negatively       
affected1 or will potentially negatively
 affect1 the credit of the veteran4     
7,b7 ,the total amount of interest      

penalties paid by the ,secretary of     
,veterans ,affairs under section #cijb  
of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 by 
reason of a delayed payment4  7,c7 ,the 
number of proper invoices submitted1    
listed in a table for each quarter and  
fiscal year of each such period that    
includes--  7i7 the total amount owed by
 the ,secretary under the proper        
invoices2  7ii7 the payment status of   
each proper invoice1 as of the date of  
the report2 and  7iii7 the period that  
elapsed until each proper invoice was   
paid1 including an explanation of any   
delayed payment4  7,d7 ,any comments    
regarding delayed payments made by      
medical providers4  7,e7 ,an            
identification of the ,veterans         
,integrated ,service ,network with the  
least number of delayed payments and the
 ,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network
 with the most number of delayed        
payments4  7,f7 ,a description of the   
best practices that a ,veterans         
,integrated ,service ,network can carry 

out to provide timely payment of a      
proper invoice1 including a plan for    
underperforming ,veterans ,integrated   
,service ,networks to improve such      
timely payments4  7c7 ,comptroller      
,general study  7#a7 ,in general ,the   
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall conduct a study that      
compares the effectiveness of each      
,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network 
in providing timely payment of a proper 
invoice by the required payment date4   
7#b7 ,submittal ,the ,comptroller       
,general shall submit to ,congress a    
report on the study conducted under     
paragraph 7#a71 including the total     
amount of interest penalties paid by the
 ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs under 
section #cijb of title #ca1 ,united     
,states ,code1 by reason of a delayed   
payment4  7d7 ,definitions ,in this     
section3  7#a7 ,the term delayed payment
 means a proper invoice that is not paid
 by the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs
 until after the required payment date4 

7#b7 ,the term proper invoice has the   
meaning given that term in section      
#cija7;a7 of title #ca4  7#c7 ,the term 
required payment date means the date    
that payment is due for a contract      
pursuant to section #cijc7;a7 of title  
#ca4