Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 5553 (ih) To amend title II of the Social Security Act to establish, for purposes [Introduced in House] ...H.R. 5553 (ih) To amend title II of the Social Security Act to establish, for purposes [Introduced in House] ...
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5552
To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance outreach programs
carried out by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for more
fully informing surviving spouses and dependents of benefits available
to them under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
and to improve local assistance levels by providing dedicated staff to
assist surviving spouses and dependents in obtaining benefits under
those laws.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 25, 2000
Mr. Doyle (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Filner, Mr. Murtha, Mr.
Baldacci, Mr. Holden, Mr. Borski, Mr. Larson, Mr. Kanjorski, Mr.
Mascara, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Coyne,
Mr. Klink, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Barcia, Ms. Brown of Florida, and Ms.
DeGette) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance outreach programs
carried out by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for more
fully informing surviving spouses and dependents of benefits available
to them under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
and to improve local assistance levels by providing dedicated staff to
assist surviving spouses and dependents in obtaining benefits under
those laws.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Surviving Spouses and Dependents
Outreach Enhancement and Veterans Casework Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) There are over 600,000 surviving spouses and dependents
receiving dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) or death
pensions from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs does not target this
population for specific outreach efforts, nor does it provide
program outreach coordinators designated at each regional
office of the Department to assist this population and other
survivors who may be eligible for benefits from the Department.
(3) Approximately 1,000 veterans die daily, many survived
by widows and dependents who may not be fully informed as to
their eligibility for benefits under laws administered by the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(4) There is no formal program for coordination of benefits
for surviving spouses and dependents at any level within the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(5) Due to insufficient outreach efforts, informational
updates targeted specifically to surviving spouses and
dependents are not provided. Outreach efforts to provide
information concerning changes in service-connection for
disabilities presumed associated with exposure to herbicides
and ionizing radiation and former prisoners of war have been
insufficient to adequately inform survivors of benefits to
which they may now be entitled.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL GOAL TO FULLY INFORM AND ASSIST SURVIVING SPOUSES AND
DEPENDENTS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS AND HEALTH
CARE SERVICES.
(a) National Goal.--Congress hereby declares it to be a national
goal to fully inform surviving spouses and dependents regarding their
eligibility for benefits and health care services under laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(b) Cooperative Efforts Encouraged.--Congress hereby encourages all
elements within the Department of Veterans Affairs, private and public
sector entities (including veterans service organizations), and
veterans widows and surviving spouses organizations to work
cooperatively to fully inform the surviving spouses and dependents of
veterans regarding their eligibility for benefits and health care
services under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT FOR OUTREACH EFFORTS AND DEDICATED STAFF AT EACH
REGIONAL OFFICE.
(a) Findings.--Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs have
historically targeted certain specific populations for outreach efforts
concerning benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs. Groups currently targeted for such outreach efforts
and for which program outreach coordinators have been designated at
each regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs are the
following:
(1) Former prisoners of war.
(2) Women veterans.
(3) Minority veterans.
(4) Active duty personnel.
(5) Homeless veterans.
(6) Elderly veterans.
(7) Recently separated veterans.
(b) Eligible Dependent Defined.--Paragraph (2) of section 7721(b)
of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(2) the term `eligible dependent' means a spouse,
surviving spouse (whether or not remarried), child (regardless
of age or marital status), or parent of a person who served in the
active military, naval, or air service.''.
(c) Improved Outreach Program.--(1) Subchapter II of chapter 77 of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``Sec. 7727. Outreach for eligible dependents
``(a) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall ensure
that the needs of eligible dependents are fully addressed.
``(b)(1) In order to carry out subsection (a), the Secretary shall
assign such employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration as the
Secretary considers appropriate to conduct outreach programs and
provide outreach services for eligible dependents. In areas where the
number of eligible dependents warrant doing so, the Secretary shall
assign at least one employee in the Veterans Benefits Administration
regional office to serve as a full-time coordinator of outreach
programs and services for eligible dependents in that region.
``(2) Responsibilities of employees assigned to outreach functions
under paragraph (1) shall include providing eligible dependents with
information about benefits under laws administered by the Secretary and
with assistance in claims preparation and inquiry resolution.
``(c) Whenever an eligible dependent first applies for any benefit
under laws administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall provide
to the dependent information concerning eligibility for benefits and
health care services under programs administered by the Secretary. For
purposes of this paragraph, a request for burial or related benefits,
including an application for life insurance proceeds, shall be treated
by the Secretary as an initial application for benefits.
``(d)(1) Information provided an eligible dependent under this
section shall include information on how to apply for benefits for
which the dependent may be eligible, including information about
assistance available under subsection (b) and section 7722(d) of this
title.
``(2) In the case of eligible dependents who are members of
distinct beneficiary populations (such as survivors of veterans), the
Secretary shall ensure that information provided under this section
includes specific information about benefits relating to that
population.
``(e) For any area in which there is a significant population of
eligible dependents whose primary language is a language other than
English, the Secretary shall make information provided under this
subsection available to those dependents in the dominant language in
that area (in addition to English).
``(f) Outreach services and assistance shall be provided for
eligible dependents through the same means that are used for other
specially targeted groups.
``(g) The Secretary shall ensure that the availability of outreach
services and assistance for eligible dependents under this subchapter
is made known through a variety of means, including the Internet,
correspondence of the Department, announcements in veterans
publications, direct correspondence to congressional offices, military
bases public affairs offices, military retiree affairs offices, and
United States embassies.
``(h) The Secretary shall support the Department's periodic
evaluation under section 527 of this title concerning the Department's
efforts to address the needs of eligible dependents.
``(i) The Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report on
the programs of the Department addressing the information and
assistance needs of eligible dependents. The Secretary shall include in
each such report the following:
``(1) Information about expenditures, costs, and workload
under the program of the Department directed towards the
information and assistance needs of eligible dependents.
``(2) Information about outreach efforts directed toward
eligible dependents.
``(3) Information about emerging needs within the program
that relate to other provisions of law, including section 7725
of this title with respect to language needs of eligible
dependents.
``(4) Information as to the timeline for implementation of
improvements to meet existing and emerging needs of eligible
dependents in addition to those specified in this section.''.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7726 the
following new item:
``7727. Outreach for eligible dependents.''.
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