text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Administration 
  Improvement Act of 2001''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) The Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department 
          of Veterans Affairs is responsible for the timely and accurate 
          processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension.
              (2) The accuracy of claims processing within the Veterans 
          Benefits Administration has been a subject of concern to 
          veterans, Congress, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
              (3) While the Veterans Benefits Administration has reported 
          in the past a 95 percent accuracy rate in processing claims, a 
          new accuracy measurement system known as the Systematic 
          Technical Accuracy Review found that, in 1998 and again in 
          2000, initial reviews of veterans claims were accurate only 64 
          percent of the time.
              (4) The Veterans Benefits Administration could lose up to 
          30 percent of its workforce to retirement by 2003, making 
          adequate training for claims adjudicators even more necessary 
          to ensure veterans claims are processed efficiently.
              (5) The Veterans Benefits Administration needs to take more 
          aggressive steps to ensure that veterans claims are processed 
          in an accurate and timely fashion so as to avoid unnecessary 
          delays in providing veterans with compensation and pension 
          benefits.
              (6) In 2001 the expected appeals processing time for a 
          claim from notice of disagreement to final decision is 621 
          days.
              (7) As of September 2001, the Veterans Benefits 
          Administration backlog of pending work was 533,029 claims.
  
  SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF PROCESSING OF VETERANS BENEFITS CLAIMS.
  
      (a) Plan Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
  enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
  to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
  Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of 
  the House of Representatives a comprehensive plan for the improvement 
  of the processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension.
      (b) Elements.--The plan under subsection (a) shall include the 
  following:
              (1) Mechanisms for the improvement of training of claims 
          adjudicators and for the enhancement of employee accountability 
          standards in order to ensure that initial reviews of claims are 
          accurate and that unnecessary appeals of benefit decisions and 
          delays in benefit payments are avoided.
              (2) Mechanisms for strengthening the ability of the 
          Veterans Benefits Administration to identify recurring errors 
          in claims adjudications by improving data collection and 
          management relating to--
                      (A) the human body and impairments common in 
                  disability and pension claims; and
                      (B) recurring deficiencies in medical evidence and 
                  examinations.
              (3) Mechanisms for implementing a system for reviewing 
          claims processing accuracy that meets the internal control 
          standard of the Federal Government on separation of duties and 
          the program performance audit standard of the Federal 
          Government on organizational independence.
              (4) Mechanisms for evaluating the impact of the Training 
          and Performance Support System on the accuracy and consistency 
          of claims processing.
              (5) Quantifiable goals for each of the mechanisms developed 
          under paragraphs (1) through (4).
      (c) Consultation.--In developing the plan under subsection (a), the 
  Secretary shall consult with and obtain the views of veterans 
  organizations, county veteran service associations, and other 
  interested parties.
      (d) Implementation.--The Secretary shall implement the plan under 
  subsection (a) commencing 60 days after the date of the submittal of 
  the plan under that subsection.
      (e) Modification.--(1) The Secretary may modify the plan submitted 
  under subsection (a).
      (2) Any modification under paragraph (1) shall not take effect 
  until 30 days after the date on which the Secretary submits to the 
  Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
  Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of 
  the House of Representatives a notice regarding such modification.
      (f) Reports.--Not later than January 1, 2003, and every six months 
  thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
  Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Majority 
  Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a 
  report assessing implementation of the plan under subsection (a) during 
  the preceding 6 months, including an assessment of whether the goals 
  set forth under subsection (b)(5) are being achieved.
      (g) Funding.--The Secretary shall carry out the plan under this 
  section in any fiscal year using amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
  available for the Veterans Benefits Administration for that fiscal 
  year.
target: Veterans Benefits Administration Improvement Act of 2001 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the congressional veterans' committees, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House (the entities) a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans' compensation and pension. Requires such plan to include the training of claims adjudicators and the enhancement of accountability standards to improve the timeliness and accuracy of such claims processing. Allows for plan modifications, but requires prior notification to the entities followed by a 30-day waiting period. Provides plan funding.
feat_title: A bill to provide for the improvement of the processing of claims for veterans compensation and pension, and for other purposes.