,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #dai  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #af1      
#bjag,mr4 ,grassley 7for himself1 ,mrs4 
,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,hatch1 and ,mr4      
,coons7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill
  ,to require adequate reporting on the 
,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits    
program1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits
 ,improvement ,act of #bjag4  #b4       
,reports ,section #abje of title ,i of  
the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe  
,streets ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#cgif;c7 is amended--  7#a7 in          
subsection 7a71 by inserting ,rules1    
regulations1 and procedures issued under
 this part may include regulations based
 on standards developed by another      
,federal agency for programs related to 
public safety officer death or          
disability claims4 before the last      

sentence2  7#b7 in subsection 7b7-- 7,a7
 by inserting 7#a7 before ,in making2   
and  7,b7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7#b7 ,in making a           
determination under section #abja1 the  
,bureau shall give substantial weight to
 the evidence and all findings of fact  
presented by a ,state1 local1 or        
,federal administrative or investigative
 agency regarding eligibility for death 
or disability benefits4  2 and  7#c7 by 
adding at the end the following3  7e7   
7#a7 7,a7 ,not later than #cj days after
 the date of enactment of this          
subsection1 the ,bureau shall make      
available on the public website of the  
,bureau information on all death1       
disability1 and educational assistance  
claims submitted under this part that   
are pending as of the date on which the 
information is made available4  7,b7    
,not less frequently than once per week1
 the ,bureau shall make available on the
 public website of the ,bureau updated  
information with respect to all death1  

disability1 and educational assistance  
claims submitted under this part that   
are pending as of the date on which the 
information is made available4  7,c7    
,the information made available under   
this paragraph shall include-- 7i7 for  
each pending claim--  7,i7 the date on  
which the claim was submitted to the    
,bureau2  7,,ii7 the ,state of residence
 of the claimant2  7,,iii7 an           
anonymized1 identifying claim number2   
and  7,,iv7 the nature of the claim2 and
  7ii7 the total number of pending      
claims that were submitted to the       
,bureau more than #a year before the    
date on which the information is made   
available4  7#b7 7,a7 ,not later than   
#ahj days after the date of enactment of
 this subsection1 and every #ahj days   
thereafter1 the ,bureau shall submit to 
,congress a report on the death1        
disability1 and educational assistance  
claims submitted under this part4  7,b7 
,each report submitted under            
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include         

information on-- 7i7 the total number of
 claims for which a final determination 
has been made during the #ahj-;day      
period preceding the report2  7ii7 the  
amount of time required to process each 
claim for which a final determination   
has been made during the #ahj-;day      
period preceding the report2  7iii7 as  
of the last day of the #ahj-;day period 
preceding the report1 the total number  
of claims submitted to the ,bureau on or
 before that date for which a final     
determination has not been made2  7iv7  
as of the last day of the #ahj-;day     
period preceding the report1 the total  
number of claims submitted to the       
,bureau on or before the date that is #a
 year before that date for which a final
 determination has not been made2  7v7  
for each claim described in clause 7iv71
 a detailed description of the basis for
 delay2  7vi7 as of the last day of the 
#ahj-;day period preceding the report1  
the total number of claims submitted to 
the ,bureau on or before that date      

relating to exposure due to the         
,september #aath1 #bjja1 terrorism      
attacks for which a final determination 
has not been made2  7vii7 as of the last
 day of the #ahj-;day period preceding  
the report1 the total number of claims  
submitted to the ,bureau on or before   
the date that is #a year before that    
date relating to exposure due to the    
,september #aath1 #bjja1 terrorism      
attacks for which a final determination 
has not been made2  7viii7 for each     
claim described in clause 7vii71 a      
detailed description of the basis for   
delay2  7ix7 the total number of claims 
submitted to the ,bureau relating to    
exposure due to the ,september #aath1   
#bjja1 terrorism attacks for which a    
final determination was made during the 
#ahj-;day period preceding the report1  
and the average award amount for any    
such claims that were approved2  7x7 the
 result of each claim for which a final 
determination was made during the       
#ahj-;day period preceding the report1  

including the number of claims rejected 
and the basis for any denial of         
benefits2  7xi7 the number of final     
determinations which were appealed      
during the #ahj-;day period preceding   
the report1 regardless of when the final
 determination was first made2  7xii7   
the average number of claims processed  
per reviewer of the ,bureau during the  
#ahj-;day period preceding the report2  
7xiii7 for any claim submitted to the   
,bureau that required the submission of 
additional information from a public    
agency1 and for which the public agency 
completed providing all of the required 
information during the #ahj-;day period 
preceding the report1 the average length
 of the period beginning on the date the
 public agency was contacted by the     
,bureau and ending on the date on which 
the public agency submitted all required
 information to the ,bureau2  7xiv7 for 
any claim submitted to the ,bureau for  
which the ,bureau issued a subpoena to a
 public agency during the #ahj-;day     

period preceding the report in order to 
obtain information or documentation     
necessary to determine the claim1 the   
name of the public agency1 the date on  
which the subpoena was issued1 and the  
dates on which the public agency was    
contacted by the ,bureau before the     
issuance of the subpoena2 and  7xv7     
information on the compliance of the    
,bureau with the obligation to offset   
award amounts under section             
#abja7;f77#c71 including--  7,i7 the    
number of claims that are eligible for  
compensation under both this part and   
the ,september #aath ,victim            
,compensation ,fund of #bjja 7#di       
,u4,s4,c4 #djaja note2 ,public ,law     
#ajg-db7 7commonly referred to as the   
,,vcf72  7,,ii7 for each claim described
 in subclause 7,i7 for which            
compensation has been paid under the    
,,vcf1 the amount of compensation paid  
under the ,,vcf2  7,,iii7 the number of 
claims described in subclause 7,i7 for  
which the ,bureau has made a final      

determination2 and  7,,iv7 the number of
 claims described in subclause 7,i7 for 
which the ,bureau has not made a final  
determination4  7#c7 ,not later than #b 
years after the date of enactment of    
this subsection1 and #b years           
thereafter1 the ,comptroller ,general of
 the ,united ,states shall--  7,a7      
conduct a study on the compliance of the
 ,bureau with the obligation to offset  
award amounts under section             
#abja7;f77#c72 and  7,b7 submit to      
,congress a report on the study         
conducted under subparagraph 7,a7 that  
includes an assessment of whether the   
,bureau has provided the information    
required under subparagraph 7,b77ix7 of 
paragraph 7#b7 of this subsection in    
each report required under that         
paragraph4  7#d7 ,in this subsection1   
the term nature of the claim means      
whether the claim is a claim for-- 7,a7 
benefits under this subpart with respect
 to the death of a public safety        
officer2  7,b7 benefits under this      

subpart with respect to the disability  
of a public safety officer2 or  7,c7    
education assistance under subpart #b4  
4  #c4 ,age limitation for children     
,section #abab7;c7 of title ,i of the   
,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe      
,streets ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#cgif;d-#a7;c77 is amended--  7#a7 by   
striking ,no child and inserting the    
following3  7#a7 ,in general ,subject to
 paragraph 7#b71 no child  2 and  7#b7  
by adding at the end the following3     
7#b7 ,delayed approvals  7,a7           
,educational assistance application ,if 
a claim for assistance under this       
subpart is approved more than #a year   
after the date on which the application 
for such assistance is filed with the   
,attorney ,general1 the age limitation  
under this subsection shall be extended 
by the length of the period--  7i7      
beginning on the day after the date that
 is #a year after the date on which the 
application is filed2 and  7ii7 ending  
on the date on which the application is 

approved4  7,b7 ,claim for benefits for 
death or permanent and total disability 
,in addition to an extension under      
subparagraph 7,a71 if any1 for an       
application for assistance under this   
subpart that relates to a claim for     
benefits under subpart #a that was      
approved more than #a year after the    
date on which the claim was filed with  
the ,attorney ,general1 the age         
limitation under this subsection shall  
be extended by the length of the        
period--  7i7 beginning on the day after
 the date that is #a year after the date
 on which the claim for benefits is     
submitted2 and  7ii7 ending on the date 
on which the claim for benefits is      
approved4  4  #d4 ,due diligence in     
paying benefit claims ,subpart #a of    
part ,l of title ,i of the ,omnibus     
,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act 
of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cgif et seq47  
is amended by adding at the end the     
following3  #abjf4 ,due diligence in    
paying benefit claims  7a7 ,in general  

,the ,bureau1 with all due diligence1   
shall expeditiously attempt to obtain   
the information and documentation       
necessary to adjudicate a benefit claim 
filed under this part1 including a claim
 for financial assistance under subpart 
#b4  7b7 ,sufficient information        
unavailable ,if a benefit claim filed   
under this part1 including a claim for  
financial assistance under subpart #b1  
is unable to be adjudicated by the      
,bureau because of a lack of information
 or documentation from a third party1   
such as a public agency1 the ,bureau may
 not abandon the benefit claim unless   
the ,bureau has utilized the            
investigative tools available to the    
,bureau to obtain the necessary         
information or documentation1 including 
subpoenas4  4  #e4 ,presumption that    
officer acted properly ,section #abjb of
 title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime        
,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of     
#aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cgif;a7 is        
amended--  7#a7 by striking ,no benefit 

and inserting the following3  7a7 ,in   
general ,no benefit  2 and  7#b7 by     
adding at the end the following3  7b7   
,presumption ,in determining whether a  
benefit is payable under this part1 the 
,bureau shall--  7#a7 presume that none 
of the limitations described in         
subsection 7a7 apply2 and  7#b7 have the
 burden of establishing by clear and    
convincing evidence that a limitation   
described in subsection 7a7 applies4  4 
#f4 ,effective date2 applicability ,the 
amendments made by this ,act shall--    
7#a7 take effect on the date of         
enactment of this ,act2 and  7#b7 apply 
to any benefit claim or application     
under part ,l of title ,i of the        
,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe      
,streets ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#cgif et seq47 that is--  7,a7 pending  
before the ,bureau of ,justice          
,assistance on the date of enactment2 or
  7,b7 received by the ,bureau on or    
after the date of enactment of this     
,act4