[Page S3264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4560. Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Tester, and Mr. Lugar) 
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 
1315, to amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance life insurance 
benefits for disabled veterans, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title VI, add the following:

     SEC. 604. REPORTS ON PROGRESS OF THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS IN ADDRESSING CAUSES FOR VARIANCES IN 
                   COMPENSATION PAYMENTS FOR VETERANS FOR SERVICE-
                   CONNECTED DISABILITIES.

       (a) Reports Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter 
     through 2012, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
     to the congressional veterans affairs committees a report 
     describing the progress of the Secretary in addressing the 
     causes of variances in compensation payments for veterans for 
     service-connected disabilities.
       (b) Elements.--Each report under subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) A description of the efforts of the Veterans Benefits 
     Administration to coordinate with the Veterans Health 
     Administration to improve the quality of examinations of 
     veterans with service-connected disabilities that are 
     performed by the Veterans Health Administration and contract 
     clinicians, including efforts relating to the use of approved 
     templates for such examinations and of reports on such 
     examinations that are based on such templates prepared in an 
     easily-readable format.
       (2) An assessment of the current personnel requirements of 
     the Veterans Benefits Administration, including an assessment 
     of the adequacy of the number of personnel assigned to each 
     regional office of the Administration for each type of claim 
     adjudication position.
       (3) A description of the differences, if any, in current 
     patterns of submittal rate of claims to the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs regarding service-connected disabilities 
     among various populations of veterans, including veterans 
     living in rural and highly rural areas, minority veterans, 
     veterans who served in the National Guard or Reserve, and 
     veterans who are retired from the Armed Forces military 
     retirees, and a description and assessment of efforts 
     undertaken to eliminate such differences.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``congressional veterans affairs committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (2) Highly rural.--The term ``highly rural'', in the case 
     of an area, means that the area consists of a county or 
     counties having a population of less than seven persons per 
     square mile.
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