Steube Introduces Legislation to Improve Efficiency for VA Billing, Promote Fiscal Responsibility for America’s Heroes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the VA Fiscal Responsibility Act, legislation to promote efficiency and fiscal responsibility by directing the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to improve its third-party billings and collections procedures.
“Our veterans sacrificed for our country’s security, and they should not be subjected to inefficient collection procedures,” Steube said. “These heroes deserve the best care and should not be held fiscally responsible for the system’s failure to proactively capture the third-party billings that go uncollected.”
A large amount of VA third-party billings go uncollected each year, forcing Congress to appropriate additional borrowed funds to cover veterans’ health care services. This legislation would put the VA on the path to use the same collections procedures that private sector providers use today.
Specifically, the legislation directs the VA to:
● Automate the collection of outstanding, overdue, and not fully paid third-party health insurance claims, regardless of the amount owed under any single claim;
● Enter into a contract using competitive procedures to provide such capability; and
● Award such contracts that the Secretary determines have proven expertise and documented success in the private sector through the use of automated small-balance recovery and appeal processes.
This legislation follows Steube’s other priorities to serve our nation’s veterans. Earlier this week, Steube’s legislation, the Free Veterans from Fees Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would waive special-use permit fees for veterans’ demonstrations and special events at war memorials administered by the National Park Service (NPS) in the District of Columbia.
You can read the full text of the legislation here.
