Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/4180

 12 2 STA T .4 1 57PUBLIC LA W 11 0–389—O CT. 10 , 2008 spou s e s and dependen t s des crib ed in subsection ( a ), inc l udin g a state m ent o f t h e rates of such compensation so pa y able ( 2 ) an assessment of the ade q uacy of such payments in replacing the deceased v eteran ’ s income; and ( 3 ) such recommendations as the C omptroller G eneral con - siders appropriate in order to improve or enhance the effects of such payments in replacing the deceased veteran’s income .SEC.2 2 4 . IND E P ENDEN TA SSESS M ENT OFQU A L IT Y ASSU R ANCE PRO -G RAM. (a) IN G E NE RAL . —S ection 7 73 1 is amended by adding at the end the follo w ing new subsection

‘(c)(1) T he Secretary shall enter into a contract with an inde- pendent third-party entity to conduct, during the three-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the V eterans’ B enefits Improvement A ctof2 0 0 8, an assessment of the quality assurance program carried out under subsection (a). ‘‘(2) The assessment conducted under paragraph (1) shall evaluate the following: ‘‘(A) The quality and accuracy of the wor k of employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration, using a statistically valid sample of such employees and a statistically valid sample of such work. ‘‘(B) The performance of each regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration. ‘‘(C) The accuracy of the disability ratings assigned under the schedule for rating disabilities under section 11 5 5 of this title. ‘‘( D ) The consistency of disability ratings among regional offices of the Veterans Benefits Administration, based on a sample of specific disabilities. ‘‘( E ) The performance of employees and managers of the Veterans Benefits Administration. ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall develop a mechanism for the automated gathering and producing of data that can be used to monitor and assess trends relating to the items described in paragraph (2). ‘‘( 4 )(A) Beginning on the date that is si x months after the date of the enactment of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, the Secretary shall— ‘‘(i) for each claim for disability compensation under laws administered by the Secretary submitted to the Secretary on or after such date, retain, monitor, and store in an accessible format the data described in subparagraph (B); and ‘‘(ii) develop a demographic baseline for the data retained, monitored, and stored under subparagraph (A). ‘‘(B) The data described in this subparagraph includes the following: ‘‘(i) F or each claim for disability compensation under laws administered by the Secretary submitted by a claimant— ‘‘(I) the State in which the claimant resided when the claim was submitted; ‘‘(II) the decision of the Secretary with respect to the claim and each issue claimed; and ‘‘(III) the regional office and individual employee of the Department responsible for rating the claim. ‘‘(ii) The State in which the claimant currently resides. Ef f ectiv e da te .Con t r act s . T i m e p eriod. 38US C 7 73 1.

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