Sec. 592. Working Group on Integrated Disability Evaluation System
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There is established within the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee under section 320 of title 38, United States Code, a Working Group (in this section referred to as the Working Group ) to evaluate and reform the Integrated Disability Evaluation System of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Working Group shall be established under the Disability Evaluation System Working Group of the Joint Executive Committee.
The Working Group shall carry out a pilot program that will co-locate the services and personnel of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an integrated model that continues the improvement of the Integrated Disability Evaluation System process through— increased process efficiencies, as determined by the Working Group; the creation of a standardized form set described in subsection (c)(3); the elimination of redundancies; the improvement of existing process timelines of the Integrated Disability Evaluation System; increased service member satisfaction; and the establishment of an information technology bridging solution described in subsection (c)(4).
The pilot program under paragraph
(1)shall be carried for a period not exceeding three years. In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (b), the Working Group shall ensure the following: The period beginning on the date on which an eligible member begins to participate in the pilot program and ending on the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines the disability rating of the member is not more than 295 days. Employees of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs who carry out the pilot program are co-located in the same facility, to the extent practicable, to determine the efficiencies provided by locating services of the Departments in the same location. The elimination of redundant forms by creating and using a standardized electronic form set with respect to information that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs both require for an eligible member participating in the pilot program. The establishment of an information technology bridging solution between the existing E-benefits program and the MYIDES dashboard to ensure that both such programs contain the information that is added to the claim of an eligible member participating in the pilot program. Using the solution established under paragraph (4), eligible members participating in the pilot program are able to use the existing identification number of the member used by the Department of Defense to— automatically track the status of the claim of the member, including with respect to the office of the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs that is responsible for the evaluation as of the date of accessing such solution; and be informed of the estimated timeline of the evaluation of the claim. Using the solution established under paragraph (4), the Working Group and the Secretaries may— identify the office and employee of the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs who are responsible for the evaluation of a claim at any given time; and track individual employees of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to statistics measuring quality and accuracy at the case level. Eligible members who participate in the pilot program have the opportunity to use an exit survey (approved by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs) that informs the Working Group of the satisfaction of the member with respect to the pilot program. A member of the Armed Forces who is being separated or retired from the Armed Forces for disability under chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code, is eligible to participate in the pilot program under subsection
(b)if— the member is referred to the Integrated Disability Evaluation System beginning on or after the date of the commencement of the pilot program by the specific medical authority of a military department; and the evaluation of the member under the Integrated Disability Evaluation System is processed at the disability rating activity site in Providence, Rhode Island. By not later than 120 days after the date of the first meeting of the Working Group, the Working Group shall— establish the pilot program under subsection (b); and establish standards for the products, software, personnel, approved standardized electronic form set described in subsection (c)(3), and other matters required to carry out the pilot program; and identify the security required for the information systems of the pilot program. The pilot program established under subsection
(b)shall be located at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall assign employees of both Departments to the location specified in subsection
(f)during the period in which the pilot program is carried out. As determined appropriate by the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee, employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration who rate claims for disability may be assigned to the pilot program under subsection
(b)in a sufficient number to ensure that claims for disability that are approved are processed— for proposed rating decision not later than 15 days after such approval; and for notification of benefits and authorization of award not later than 30 days after separation from the Armed Forces. If an eligible member who is participating in the pilot program under subsection
(b)elects to instead participate in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall evaluate the eligible member under the Integrated Disability Evaluation System by recognizing the date of the original claim of the member and without any penalty with respect to the priority of the member in such system. During each 90-day period during the period in which the Working Group carries out the pilot program under subsection (b), the Working Group shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee a report on the status of the pilot program. The report shall include— the average number of days that an eligible member participates in the pilot program before the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines the disability rating of the member; the extent to which forms have been eliminated pursuant to subsection (c)(3); the extent to which the information technology bridging solution established pursuant to subsection (c)(4) has improved information sharing between the Departments; the results of exit surveys described in subsection (c)(7); the extent to which employees of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have been co-located in the same facility under the pilot program; and the determination of the Working Group, based on data collected during the course of the pilot program, with respect to the feasibility of increasing the efficiency of the program to decrease the number of days of the goal described in subsection (c)(1). Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Working Group submits a report under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees such report. Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program under subsection
(b)is completed, the Working Group shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee a report on the pilot program, including an analysis of the pilot program and any recommendations regarding whether the pilot program should be expanded. Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Working Group submits the report under paragraph (3), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees such report. The Working Group shall be composed of 15 members appointed by the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee from among individuals who have subject matter expertise or other relevant experience in government, the private sector, or academia regarding— health care; medical records; logistics; information technology; or other relevant subjects. An individual may not be appointed to the Working Group if the individual has served on the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee or any working group thereof. Not more than a total of four individuals who are employed by either the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs may be appointed to the Working Group to ensure that the efficiencies and best practices of the pilot program do not violate the policies of the Departments. Such an individual who is appointed may not serve as chairman of the Working Group or serve in any other supervisory or leadership role. The Working Group shall seek advice from experts from nongovernmental organizations (including veterans service organizations, survivors of members of the Armed Forces or veterans, and military organizations), the Internet technology industry, private sector hospital administrators, and other entities the Working Group determines appropriate. Except as provided by paragraph (3), the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee shall designate a member of the Working Group to serve as chairman of the Working Group. Members of the Working Group shall be appointed for the life of the Working Group. A vacancy shall not affect its powers. A vacancy on the Working Group shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made. The appointment of members of the Working Group established in this section shall be made not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Each member of the Working Group who is not an officer or employee of the United States shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which the member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Working Group. All members of the Working Group who are officers or employees of the United States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the United States. The Working Group shall hold its first meeting not later than 15 days after the date on which a majority of the members are appointed. The Working Group shall meet not less than twice each year regarding the pilot program under subsection (b), including the progress, status, implementation, and execution of the pilot program. The Working Group shall terminate on the date on which the Working Group submits the report under subsection (i)(3). In this section: The term appropriate congressional committees means the following: The Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The term Integrated Disability Evaluation System means the disability evaluation system used jointly by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.