H.R. 5944 — Introduced in House

I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5944 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 9, 2021Mrs. Torres of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To direct the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report on the backlog of disability compensation claims submitted to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans Administration Backlog Accountability Act of 2021. 2. Inspector General report on backlog of disability compensation claims submitted to Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the backlog of disability compensation claims. (b) Matters included The report under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) The status of the backlog described in such subsection. (2) How the Secretary is addressing the backlog. (3) How the backlog is affecting the amount of time a claimant is waiting for the Secretary to adjudicate the claim. (4) Recommendations to improve the backlog. (c) Backlog of disability compensation claims The term backlog of disability compensation claims means a backlog of disability compensation claims submitted to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs pursuant to chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, pending before the Veterans Benefits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.