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S. 805: SHIELD for Veterans Act of 2020

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S. 805: SHIELD for Veterans Act of 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2019-03-14 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 539.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2019-03-14 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 539. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

SHIELD for Veterans Act of 2020

Plain summary

Stopping Harm and Implementing Enhanced Lead-time for Debts for Veterans Act of 2020 or the SHIELD for Veterans Act of 2020 This bill updates debt collection and overpayment processes related to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits or programs. Specifically, the bill prohibits the incursion of debt arising from programs or benefits administered by the VA if the amount is owed for any overpayment that was caused by the amount of time taken by the VA to process information provided by or on behalf of an individual. If the VA makes an overpayment to an individual, it must provide such individual with notice of the overpayment and an explanation of the individual's right to (1) dispute the overpayment, and (2) request a waiver of indebtedness. In addition, the VA may not take any collection action regarding an overpayment until 90 days after it issues such notice. The VA must report on its plan for the improvement of the notification and communication processes for individuals who receive overpayments from the VA. The bill prohibits interest and administrative cost charges on delinquent payments of debt resulting from a person's participation in a VA disability compensation program, pension program, or an educational assistance program. The VA must establish a minimum debt threshold for when it will report to a consumer reporting agency in relation to a claim or debt arising from receipt of a VA benefit. The bill extends the window to request relief from the recovery of debt arising from a person's participation in a VA benefit or program from 180 days to 1 year. The bill requires the VA to prescribe an administrative process for the dispute of the existence or amount of debt. The VA is prohibited from deducting any amount of an individual's debt if the cost of recovery would exceed the amount to be recovered. The VA must ensure its website and written notices contain all information veterans need regarding how to dispute an indebtedness. Finally, the VA must ensure that a veteran may remove any dependent from an award of compensation or pension using the VA's system.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SHIELD for Veterans Act of 2020

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 805, Stopping Harm and Implementing Enhanced Lead-time for Debts for Veterans Act of 2020 (2020-10-14)

Cosponsors on this site

John Boozman (R-AR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-s805 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116