VA Fiscal Responsibility Act

VA Fiscal Responsibility Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to automate the collection of outstanding, overdue, and incomplete payments of third-party health insurance claims, regardless of the amount owed under any single claim. The VA must seek to enter a contract using competitive procedures and select a contractor that has proven expertise in the private sector through the use of automated small-balance recovery and appeal processes.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8364 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8364

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to automate third-party 
health insurance billings and collections of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 2020

  Mr. Steube introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to automate third-party 
health insurance billings and collections of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.

    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 ``VA Fiscal Responsibility Act''.

SEC. 2. THIRD-PARTY BILLINGS AND COLLECTIONS PROCEDURES OF DEPARTMENT 
              OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) A large number of third-party health billings by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs go uncollected each year.
            (2) Procedures to provide for correct billing and prompt 
        collection must improve at the Department.
            (3) Congress has urged the Department to improve its 
        systems for the collection of third-party payments that are 
        owed to the Department for non-service-connected care for 
        veterans.
            (4) It is important for the Department to increase 
        collections of payments that are rightfully owed to the United 
        States.
            (5) A comprehensive solution to the fee care issue is 
        necessary to realize full collection potential.
    (b) Use of Automated Technology.--
            (1) Requirement.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        automate the collection of outstanding, overdue, and not fully 
        paid third-party health insurance claims, regardless of the 
        amount owed under any single claim.
            (2) Contract authority.--The Secretary shall seek to enter 
        into a contract using competitive procedures to provide the 
        capability described in paragraph (1). The Secretary shall 
        award such a contract from among contractors that the Secretary 
        determines have proven expertise and documented success in the 
        private sector through the use of automated small-balance 
        recovery and appeal processes.
            (3) Third-party health insurance claims.--In this section, 
        the term ``third-party health insurance claims'' means claims 
        made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recover amounts 
        from third parties pursuant to sections 1725 and 1729 of title 
        38, United States Code, and other similar provisions of law.
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