To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit certain reports relating to medical evidence submitted in support of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary.
Public Law 115-130 · H.R. 1725 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Mar 9, 2018 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz (D-MN-1)
Cosponsors (8): Rep. Jeff Denham, Rep. Jim Langevin,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Sec. 1) This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), within 180 days of enactment of this bill, to submit a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations.
Such report shall include: (1) the number of claims eligible for the initiative, disaggregated by fiscal year; (2) the total number of claims eligible for the initiative that required a VA medical examiner to supplement the evidence with information obtained during a telephone interview with the claimant; (3) information on other VA initiatives to encourage the use of private medical evidence; (4) the anticipated impact on the time line and accuracy of processing claims if the VA were prohibited from requesting a private medical examination that is adequate for a claims decision; and (5) recommendations on how the VA can measure, track, and prevent the ordering of unnecessary medical examinations when a private examination has been administered.
(Sec. 2) The VA shall submit by March 1 of FY2018-FY2024 an annual report that includes for each VA regional office: (1) the number of times a veteran who submitted private medical evidence in support of a claim for compensation or pension was scheduled for an examination by VA personnel because the private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable, (2) the most common reasons for such determinations, and (3) the types of disabilities for which claims were most commonly denied when private medical evidence was submitted.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 706Related bill
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2017
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.
- Mar 9, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-130.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Feb 28, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Feb 16, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Feb 15, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- May 24, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- May 23, 2017FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1725.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Roe (TN) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- May 19, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 82.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 115-133.
- May 17, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Apr 27, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Mar 24, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.