,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cbeh  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #ad1     
#bjaf ,mr4 ,donnelly 7for himself and   
,mr4 ,rounds7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1
 and ,urban ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to    
amend the ,fair ,credit ,reporting ,act 
and the ,fair ,debt ,collection         
,practices ,act to delay the inclusion  
in consumer credit reports and to       
establish requirements for debt         
collectors with respect to medical debt 
information of veterans due to          
inappropriate or delayed billing        
payments or reimbursements from the     
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,protecting ,veterans ,credit ,act of   
#bjaf4  #b4 ,purpose ,the purposes of   
this ,act are--  7#a7 to rectify        
reporting of medical debt included in a 
consumer report of a veteran due to     

inappropriate or delayed payment for    
hospital care or medical services       
provided in a non-,department of        
,veterans ,affairs facility under the   
laws administered by the ,secretary of  
,veterans ,affairs2 and  7#b7 to clarify
 the process of debt collection for such
 medical debt4  #c4 ,amendments to fair 
credit reporting act  7a7 ,veteran's    
medical debt defined ,section #fjc of   
the ,fair ,credit ,reporting ,act 7#ae  
,u4,s4,c4 #afha;a7 is amended by adding 
at the end the following3  7z7 ,veteran 
,the term veteran has the meaning given 
the term in section #aja of title #ch1  
,united ,states ,code4  7aa7 ,veteran's 
medical debt ,the term veteran's medical
 debt means a debt of a veteran arising 
from hospital care or medical services1 
as those terms are defined in section   
#agja of title #ch1 ,united ,states     
,code1 provided in a non-,department of 
,veterans ,affairs facility under the   
laws administered by the ,secretary of  
,veterans ,affairs1 including under     

section #agjc1 #agab1 #agab;,a1 #agbe1  
or #agbh of title #ch1 ,united ,states  
,code4  4  7b7 ,exclusion for veteran's 
medical debt ,section #fje7;a7 of the   
,fair ,credit ,reporting ,act 7#ae      
,u4,s4,c4 #afha;c7 is amended by adding 
at the end the following3  7#g7 ,any    
information related to a veteran's      
medical debt if the date on which the   
debt was placed for collection1 charged 
to profit or loss1 or subjected to any  
similar action antedates the report by  
less than #a year4  7#h7 ,any           
information related to a fully paid or  
settled veteran's medical debt that had 
been characterized as delinquent1       
charged off1 or in collection4  4  7c7  
,removal of veteran's medical debt from 
consumer report ,section #faa of the    
,fair ,credit ,reporting ,act 7#ae      
,u4,s4,c4 #afha;i7 is amended-- 7#a7 in 
subsection 7a77#a77;,a71 by inserting   
and except as provided in subsection 7g7
 after subsection 7f72 and  7#b7 by     
adding at the end the following3  7g7   

,dispute process for veteran's medical  
debt  7#a7 ,in general ,with respect to 
a veteran's medical debt of a consumer1 
the consumer may submit a notice along  
with proof of liability of the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs for   
payment of that debt to a consumer      
reporting agency or a reseller to       
dispute the inclusion of that debt on a 
consumer report of the consumer4  7#b7  
,deletion of information from file ,not 
later than #cj days after the date on   
which a notice is received under        
paragraph 7#a71 the consumer reporting  
agency shall delete information relating
 to the veteran's medical debt from the 
file of the consumer and notify the     
furnisher and the consumer of that      
deletion4  4  #d4 ,communications       
regarding veteran's medical debt  7a7   
,in general ,section #hji of the ,fair  
,debt ,collection ,practices ,act 7#ae  
,u4,s4,c4 #afib;g7 is amended-- 7#a7 in 
subsection 7a71 in the matter preceding 
paragraph 7#a71 by inserting 1 except   

for a veteran's medical debt as         
described in subsection 7f71 after any  
debt2 and  7#b7 by adding at the end the
 following3  7f7 ,veteran's medical debt
  7#a7 ,definitions ,in this            
subsection--  7,a7 the term consumer    
reporting agency has the meaning given  
the term in section #fjc of the ,fair   
,credit ,reporting ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4  
#afha;a72  7,b7 the term veteran has the
 meaning given the term in section #aja 
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code2 and
  7,c7 the term veteran's medical debt  
means a debt of a veteran arising from  
hospital care or medical services1 as   
those terms are defined in section #agja
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1   
provided in a non-,department of        
,veterans ,affairs facility under the   
laws administered by the ,secretary of  
,veterans ,affairs1 including under     
section #agjc1 #agab1 #agab;,a1 #agbe1  
or #agbh of title #ch1 ,united ,states  
,code4  7#b7 ,communications regarding  
veteran's medical debt ,not later than  

#e days after the initial communication 
with a veteran in connection with the   
collection of a veteran's medical debt1 
a debt collector shall1 unless the      
following information is contained in   
the initial communication or the veteran
 has paid the debt1 send the veteran a  
written notice containing--  7,a7 the   
amount of the debt2  7,b7 the name of   
the creditor to whom the debt is owed2  
7,c7 a statement that unless the        
veteran1 within #a year after receipt of
 the notice1 disputes the validity of   
the debt1 or any portion thereof1 the   
debt will be assumed to be valid by the 
debt collector2  7,d7 a statement that  
if the veteran notifies the debt        
collector in writing within the #a-year 
period that the debt1 or any portion    
thereof1 is disputed1 the debt collector
 will obtain verification of the debt or
 a copy of a judgment against the       
veteran and a copy of such verification 
or judgment will be mailed to the       
veteran by the debt collector2  7,e7 a  

statement that1 upon the veteran's      
written request within the #a-year      
period1 the debt collector will provide 
the veteran with the name and address of
 the original creditor1 if different    
from the current creditor2  7,f7 a      
statement that the debt collector will  
not report the debt to a consumer       
reporting agency until #a year after the
 date on which the debt collector sends 
the statement2 and  7,g7 a statement    
that the consumer may communicate with--
 7i7 an insurance company to determine  
coverage for the debt2  7ii7 the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to    
determine coverage for the debt or      
repayment options2 or  7iii7 the        
provider of the hospital care or medical
 services from which the debt arises4   
7#c7 ,collection of veteran's medical   
debt ,if the veteran notifies the debt  
collector in writing within the #a-year 
period described in paragraph 7#b77;,d7 
that the veteran's medical debt1 or any 
portion thereof1 is disputed1 or that   

the veteran requests the name and       
address of the original creditor1 the   
debt collector shall cease collection of
 the veteran's medical debt1 or any     
disputed portion thereof1 until the debt
 collector obtains verification of the  
veteran's medical debt or a copy of a   
judgment1 or the name and address of the
 original creditor1 and a copy of such  
verification or judgment1 or name and   
address of the original creditor1 is    
mailed to the veteran by the debt       
collector4 ,collection activities and   
communications that do not otherwise    
violate this title may continue during  
the #a-year period referred to in       
paragraph 7#b77;,d7 unless the veteran  
has notified the debt collector in      
writing that the veteran's medical debt1
 or any portion of the debt1 is disputed
 or that the veteran requests the name  
and address of the original creditor4   
,any collection activities and          
communication during the #a-year period 
may not overshadow or be inconsistent   

with the disclosure of the veteran's    
right to dispute the veteran's medical  
debt or request the name and address of 
the original creditor4  4  #e4          
,effective date ,the amendments made by 
this ,act shall take effect on the date 
that is #ij days after the date of      
enactment of this ,act4