,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dgga  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,october #ba1        
#bjai,mr4 ,cunningham 7for himself and  
,mr4 ,katko7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to permit appellants to  
appear in disability compensation cases 
before the ,board of ,veterans' ,appeals
 by picture and voice transmission from 
locations other than facilities of the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,,va ,tele-,hearing ,modernization  
,act4  #b4 ,disability compensation     
hearings before the ,board of ,veterans'
 ,appeals by means of teleconference    
from locations other than facilities of 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
7a7 ,establishment ,section #gajg of    
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7c77#b7-- 
7,a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting 

or subparagraph 7,c7 of this paragraph  
after subparagraph 7,b7 of such         
paragraph2  7,b7 in subparagraph 7,b71  
by inserting or subparagraph 7,c7 of    
this paragraph after subparagraph 7,a7  
of such paragraph2 and  7,c7 by adding  
at the end the following new            
subparagraph 7,c73  7,c7 ,upon          
notification of a ,board hearing under  
subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 of paragraph  
7#a7 in a case regarding disability     
compensation under a law administered by
 the ,secretary1 the appellant may      
alternatively request a hearing by      
picture and voice transmission--  7i7 at
 a location selected by the appellant2  
and  7ii7 via a secure internet platform
 established and maintained by the      
,secretary that protects sensitive      
personal information from a data breach4
  ,if so requested1 the ,board shall    
grant such request4 2 and  7#b7 by      
adding at the end the following new     
subsection 7f73  7f7 ,definitions ,in   
this section1 the terms sensitive       

personal information and data breach    
have the meanings given those terms in  
section #egbg of this title4  4  7b7    
,deadline ,the ,secretary shall         
implement the amendments made by        
subsection 7a7 not later than #ahj days 
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act4  7c7 ,reports ,on the day that is 
one year after the date on which the    
,secretary implements subparagraph 7,c7 
of subsection 7c77#b7 of such section   
#gajg1 as added by subsection 7a71 and  
twice annually thereafter1 the          
,secretary shall submit to the          
,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of   
the ,senate and ,house of               
,representatives a report regarding     
hearings held under such subparagraph4  
,each such report shall include1 with   
respect to the year immediately         
preceding the date of the report1 the   
following3  7#a7 ,the number of hearings
 scheduled under such subparagraph4     
7#b7 ,the number of hearings under such 
subparagraph that were cancelled and why

 each such hearing was cancelled4  7#c7 
,any statistical difference in outcomes 
between cases heard under such          
subparagraph and those held at the      
principal location of the ,board or by  
picture and voice transmission at a     
facility of the ,department4