Review of the VA disability rating schedule

(a) Comprehensive review The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a comprehensive review of the Department of Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities to— (1) identify vulnerabilities to fraudulent, exaggerated, or duplicative claims; (2) assess whether existing rating criteria accurately reflect current medical standards and functional impairment measures; and (3) recommend updates to ensure consistency, integrity, and fairness in disability determinations. (b) Integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics tools (1) The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Comptroller General of the United States, develop and implement a program utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence systems to proactively identify irregularities or high-risk indicators within disability claims. (2) Such systems shall be modeled, to the extent practicable, after the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Identification and Reporting system utilized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (3) All findings generated through automated or algorithmic processes shall be subject to human review and validation before any administrative or disciplinary action may be taken. (4) The Secretary shall ensure that the use of such systems respects all due process protections and privacy safeguards afforded to claimants under Federal law. (c) Coordination and oversight The Secretary shall coordinate with the Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to— (1) evaluate the effectiveness of the tools described in subsection (b); (2) identify risks of over-flagging or under-detection of improper claims; and (3) recommend best practices to ensure balanced oversight and prevention of misuse. (d) Reporting requirement Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report detailing— (1) the results of the review conducted under subsection (a); (2) vulnerabilities identified and corrective measures proposed; (3) the status of data analytics and artificial intelligence integration under subsection (b); and (4) recommendations for further modernization of the disability rating process.