Ensuring Vastly Improved Performance (eVIP) for Mail Service for our Veterans Act or the eVIP Mail Service for Veterans Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a strategy to improve its printing and mailing operations (excluding the mailing of prescription and over-the-counter drugs).
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8919 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8919
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate and upgrade
the mail management systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 9, 2020
Mr. Cunningham introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate and upgrade
the mail management systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
for other purposes.
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 ``Ensuring Vastly Improved Performance
(eVIP) for Mail Service for our Veterans Act'' or the ``eVIP Mail
Service for Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. MAIL STRATEGY AND MODERNIZATION.
(a) Develop Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall develop a strategy to improve the printing and mailing
operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Exclusion.--The strategy described in paragraph (1)
does not apply to the mailing of prescription and over-the-
counter drugs.
(b) Strategy Goals.--The Secretary shall include in the strategy
under subsection (a) plans for improving the printing and mailing
operations of the Department, including plans for the following:
(1) Consolidate the printing and mailing operations of the
Department--
(A) such that the operations are performed at not
more than four locations, except that the Veterans
Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits
Administration are each primarily serviced by not more
than two of the locations;
(B) to enable production cost efficiencies; and
(C) to improve the timeliness of sending mail.
(2) Ensure each of the locations described in paragraph
(1)(A) has the capacity to offset service disruptions at
another such location, and enable the exchange of mail volume
between such locations for purposes of such offsetting and for
balancing the mail volume for which each such location is
responsible.
(3) Update the printing and mailing practices of the
Department to decrease mailing costs, including increasing the
use of automation discounts offered by the United States Postal
Service.
(4) Improve the accuracy of mail data maintained by the
Department.
(5) Improve the tracking of mail within the Department.
(6) Perform house holding on a more consistent basis.
(7) Set Departmentwide standards, including minimum
requirements and target goals, for appropriate mail data
metrics.
(8) Improve the accuracy of address information held by the
Department for persons to whom the Department sends mail.
(c) Pilot Program.--The Secretary may carry out a pilot program to
test the feasibility and efficacy of the strategy developed under
subsection (a).
(d) Implementation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
Secretary has developed the strategy under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall implement the strategy except as provided in
paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) Consolidation.--Subject to paragraph (3), not later
than 24 months after the Secretary has developed the strategy
under subsection (a) the Secretary shall implement the strategy
with respect to the goals described in paragraphs (1) and (2)
of subsection (b).
(3) Extension in case of pilot program.--If the Secretary
carries out a pilot program under subsection (c), not later
than 36 months after the Secretary has developed the strategy
under subsection (a) the Secretary shall implement the
strategy.
(e) Report.--
(1) Contents.--Not later than the date described in
paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of
Representatives a report on--
(A) the effect of the strategy developed under
subsection (a), as implemented, on the reliability and
timeliness of correspondence between the Department and
veterans and their dependants;
(B) the cost savings resulting from the
implementation of the strategy;
(C) the improvements implemented under the strategy
to the hardware and software used for printing and
mailing operations of the Department, including any
such improvements that will be implemented; and
(D) whether the Department is processing a
significant volume of mail correspondence volumes
outside of the locations described in subsection
(b)(1)(A).
(2) Timing.--The date described in this paragraph is--
(A) two years after the date of the enactment of
this Act; or
(B) if the Secretary carries out a pilot program
under subsection (c), three years after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``house holding'' means consolidating into a
single piece of mail all mail that is sent on the same day from
the same location to the same intended recipient at one
address.
(2) The term ``mail data'' means metrics relating to
printing and mailing operations, including the quantity of
mail, costs, and address errors.
(3) The term ``printing and mailing operations'' means the
processes, personnel, facilities, and materials and other
resources involved in the production, handling, and
transmission of electronic and physical mail, and the
management thereof.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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