,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #gdd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #bh1         
#bjag,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 
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   
#bjag4  #b4 ,purpose ,the purposes of   
this ,act are--  7#a7 to rectify        
problematic 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--  7#a7 means a debt of a veteran 
arising from health care provided in a  
non-,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
facility under the laws administered by 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs2   
and  7#b7 includes medical debt that the
 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs has  
wrongfully charged a veteran4  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 hospital care or  
medical services was rendered relating  
to the debt 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 or documentation   
that the ,department of ,veterans       
,affairs is in the process of making    
payment for authorized medical services 
rendered to a consumer reporting agency 
or a reseller to dispute the inclusion  
of that debt on a consumer report of the
 consumer4  7#b7 ,notification to       
veteran ,the ,department of ,veterans   
,affairs shall submit to a veteran a    
notice that the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs has assumed liability for part
 or all of a veteran's medical debt4    
7#c7 ,deletion of information from file 
,if a notice and proof of liability or  
documentation is received under         
paragraph 7#a71 the consumer reporting  
agency shall delete all 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 ,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