Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4183) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on disability and pension benefits provided to members of the National Guard and members of reserve components of the Armed Forces by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4183

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 ``Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act''. SEC. 2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON DISABILITY AND PENSION BENEFITS PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 36 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall complete a study on disability and pension benefits provided to members of the National Guard and members of reserve components of the Armed Forces by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In conducting such study, the Comptroller General shall review, for the period beginning on January 1, 2008, and ending on December 31, 2018, each of the following:

(1) The number of members of the National Guard and the number of members of reserve components of the Armed Forces who received disability compensation or pension provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(2) A comparison of each of the following between veterans who served only in the National Guard or reserve components and veterans who served in the regular components of the Armed Forces:

(A) The percentage of each group of such veterans with service-connected disabilities.

(B) The number of veterans in each group with each disability rating.

(C) The number of veterans in each group with a service- connected disability, including the number of each of the following types of such veterans in each group:

(i) Pilots.

(ii) Veterans who served in the special forces.

(iii) Veterans who participated in the Personnel Reliability Program.

(iv) Veterans who underwent diving or flight physicals as a regular component of their service in the Armed Forces and who have a muscular-skeletal or mental health condition.

(D) The number of total claims for disability compensation and pension submitted, approved, and disapproved for each group of veterans.

(3) An identification of common barriers for members of the National Guard and members of reserve components in obtaining disability benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, including barriers relating to documentation of injuries incurred while serving, such as line of duty letters.

(b) Reports.--

(1) Preliminary report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a preliminary report on the findings of the study required by subsection (a).

(2) Final report.--Upon completion of the study, the Comptroller General shall submit to such Committees a final report on such study.

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Mr. TAKANO. 4183, as amended.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4183, as amended, the Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act, introduced by Representative Khanna of California.

I support this legislation that requests a multiyear study on VA disability and pension benefits for members of the Reserve components and National Guard. Any veteran injured during their time in service should have access to care for lingering disabilities and compensation for loss of earning power.

Since September 11, members of the Reserve component and National Guard have increasingly answered the call to service to meet our Nation's national security needs. Yet, despite greater demands and commitments, Reserve and National Guard veterans and their families do not always have easy access to benefits.

We have heard from our VSO partners that Guard and Reservists, like those who served in special missions, often have difficulty documenting injuries. Their medical records tend to be scattered and are often incomplete. This lack of in-service documentation of injury disproportionately affects Guard and Reservists.

The additional burden of obtaining a line-of-duty determination, which provides clear documentation of injury, rests on their shoulders. This can prevent receipt of compensation from VA down the road.

The study requested by this bill will compare Reserve and National Guard veterans and special operators, such as pilots and divers, to Active-Duty veterans and provide Congress with a report on the barriers they face when receiving their benefits through VA. The findings in the report will best inform Congress on next steps toward providing Reserve and National Guard veterans the compensation and benefits that they have earned.

I urge all Members to support H.R. 4183, as amended, and take the first steps to removing barriers to benefits for Guard, Reserve, and special operators.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I just want to take this moment to just reflect on how much our reservists and National Guard have contributed to our national defense in these past 18 years.

Some of us may recall the role of the Guard and Reserve during the Vietnam war era, where that was often a refuge for servicemembers who were not expecting to be called into Active Duty or called into service.

But gone are those days. The National Guard and Reserve are called up frequently, often on multiple deployments, and they have served our country with vigor, with tremendous patriotism.

So I have to say that I am very pleased that we are moving forward with this study. I think it is a travesty if our reservists and guardsmen cannot document their service-connected injuries and not be able to collect the benefits that they deserve down the road.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4183, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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