To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide timely equitable relief to an individual who suffers a loss based on an administrative error by the Secretary, and for other purposes.
This bill would tighten and accelerate the VA’s corrective actions when an individual suffers a loss due to an administrative error by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It does two main things: (1) it makes relief for administrative errors in Section 503 mandatory (instead of optional) and imposes a deadline of 120 days for the Secretary to provide such relief after a determination is made, and (2) it requires the Secretary to promptly cancel any debt-collection agreement with a debt collector if the indebtedness determination was in error. In short, the bill aims to ensure faster, guaranteed relief for those harmed by VA administrative mistakes and to stop collection efforts when the debt was wrongly determined. Potential impact includes faster resolution of wrong-doing claims by veterans and other beneficiaries, reduced harm from erroneous debt collection, and stronger accountability for VA in correcting mistakes.
Key Points
- 1Changes Section 503 to require relief: The bill replaces the word “may” with “shall” and adds a deadline of not later than 120 days after the determination for providing timely equitable relief in cases of administrative error by the VA.
- 2Provides a concrete deadline: The relief must be provided within 120 days of the relevant determination, turning discretionary relief into a mandatory duty with a time limit.
- 3Debt-collection safeguard: Section 5314 is amended to add a new paragraph stating the Secretary must promptly cancel any debt-collection agreement if the determination of indebtedness was in error.
- 4Scope of “equitable relief”: The bill targets relief for losses stemming from administrative errors by the Secretary, reinforcing a duty to remedy such errors.
- 5Administration/oversight: The changes affect how quickly VA must respond to identified errors and how it handles debt collection when an error is found, potentially increasing transparency and accountability.