,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #fgd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,april #i1 #bjac    
,mr4 ,heller introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to require prompt         
responses from the heads of covered     
,federal agencies when the ,secretary of
 ,veterans ,affairs requests information
 necessary to adjudicate claims for     
benefits under laws administered by the 
,secretary1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,accountability for ,veterans ,act 
of #bjac4  #b4 ,requirement for prompt  
responses from covered agencies when    
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs        
requests information necessary to       
adjudicate benefits claims  7a7 ,initial
 requests for information ,whenever the 
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs submits
 a request to the head of a covered     
agency for information that the         
,secretary determines is necessary to   

adjudicate a claim for a benefit under a
 law administered by the ,secretary1 the
 head of the covered agency shall1 not  
later than #cj days after receiving the 
request from the ,secretary--  7#a7     
furnish the ,secretary with the         
information requested2 or  7#b7 submit  
to the ,secretary--  7,a7 an explanation
 as to why the head is unable to furnish
 the ,secretary with the requested      
information within #cj days2 and  7,b7  
an estimate as to when the head will    
furnish the ,secretary with the         
requested information4  7b7 ,continuous 
resubmittal of requests ,in each case in
 which the ,secretary has submitted or  
resubmitted under this section a request
 to the head of a covered agency for    
information that the ,secretary         
determines is necessary to adjudicate a 
claim for a benefit under a law         
administered by the ,secretary1 has     
received under this section in response 
to such request an estimate as to when  
the head will furnish the ,secretary    

with the requested information1 has not 
received such information on or before  
the date that is #ae days after the     
estimated date1 and still requires such 
information to adjudicate the claim1 the
 ,secretary shall resubmit such request 
and the head of the covered agency      
receiving such request shall1 not later 
than #cj days after receiving the       
resubmitted request from the            
,secretary--  7#a7 furnish the          
,secretary with the information         
requested2 or  7#b7 submit to the       
,secretary--  7,a7 an explanation as to 
why the head has been unable to furnish 
the ,secretary with the requested       
information2 and  7,b7 an estimate as to
 when the head will furnish the         
,secretary with the requested           
information4  7c7 ,notice to claimants  
7#a7 ,in general ,each time the         
,secretary receives an explanation and a
 time estimate under subsection 7a77#b7 
or 7b77#b7 from the head of a covered   
agency regarding information the        

,secretary requested to adjudicate a    
claim of a claimant1 the ,secretary     
shall1 not later than #de days after the
 ,secretary submitted or resubmitted the
 request1 notify the claimant--  7,a7   
that the ,secretary requires information
 from the covered agency to adjudicate  
the claim2  7,b7 in the case of         
receiving a time estimate under         
subsection 7a77#b71 that the covered    
agency was unable to furnish the        
information to the ,secretary within #cj
 days of the request for the            
information2  7,c7 in the case of       
receiving a time estimate under         
subsection 7b77#b71 that the covered    
agency was unable to furnish the        
information to the ,secretary before the
 previously estimated date2 and  7,d7 of
 the current estimate of the head of the
 covered agency of the date by which the
 head will furnish the ,secretary with  
the information requested4  7#b7 ,manner
 ,notice provided under paragraph 7#a7  
shall be made by mail or by electronic  

means4  7d7 ,records ,the ,secretary    
shall keep records of the time it takes 
to receive--  7#a7 responses from heads 
of covered agencies under this section2 
and  7#b7 the information requested from
 the heads of covered agencies under    
this section4  7e7 ,semiannual reports  
,not less frequently than once every six
 months1 the ,secretary shall submit to 
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of
 the ,senate and the ,committee on      
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives a report that          
summarizes the records kept under       
subsection 7d7 regarding the most recent
 six-month period4  7f7 ,covered agency 
defined ,in this section1 the term      
covered agency includes the following3  
7#a7 ,the ,department of ,defense4  7#b7
 ,the ,social ,security ,administration4
  7#c7 ,the ,national ,archives and     
,records ,administration4