H.R. 1607 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit annual reports on certain claims for disability compensation and would limit the amounts VA could pay in awards and bonuses to employees of the department. Section 2 would require VA to submit annual reports through 2020 to the Congress detailing the number of claims for disability benefits based on military sexual trauma that are approved and denied, the number of such claims pending and on appeal, and the average number of days it takes to process those claims. The required reports also would include information on any training VA provides to its employees for handling such claims. Based on information from VA regarding costs for reports, CBO estimates that implementing section 2 would cost $5 million over the 2016-2020 period, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Section 3 would limit to $2 million per year the amounts VA could pay in awards and bonuses to senior executive service (SES) employees over the 2016-2018 period. From 2008 to 2012, VA paid an average of about $3.5 million each year in awards and bonus payments to SES employees. Assuming such payments will continue at about that level under current law, adjusted for inflation, CBO estimates that implementing section 3 would reduce discretionary spending for personnel by about $5 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation levels are reduced by that amount.
CBO estimates that, on net, implementing H.R. 1607 would have an insignificant effect on spending subject to appropriation over the 2016-2020 period. Enacting H.R. 1607 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 1607 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
