CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING OF EMPLOYEES OF THE VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBLE FOR PROCESSING CLAIMS.

SEC. 225. CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING OF EMPLOYEES OF THE VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBLE FOR PROCESSING CLAIMS.(a) Employee Certification Required.—(1) In general.—Subchapter II of chapter 77 is amended by inserting after section 7732 the following new section:“§ 7732A. Employee certification“(a) Development of Certification Examination.—(1) The Secretary shall provide for an examination of appropriate employees and managers of the Veterans Benefits Administration who are responsible for processing claims for compensation and pension benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary.“(2) In developing the examination required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—“(A) consult with appropriate individuals or entities, including examination development experts, interested stakeholders, and employee representatives; and“(B) consider the data gathered and produced under section 7731(c)(3) of this title.“(b) Employee and Manager Requirement.—The Secretary shall require appropriate employees and managers of the Veterans Benefits Administration who are responsible for processing claims for compensation and pension benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary to take the examination provided under subsection (a).” .(2) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter 77 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7732 the following new item: “7732A. Employee certification.”. (3) Deadlines for implementation.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall—(A) develop an updated certification examination required under section 7732A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act; and(B) begin administering such certification examination required under such section not later than 90 days after the date on which the development of such certification examination is complete.122 STAT. 4159(b) Evaluation of Training.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall—(1) evaluate the training programs administered for employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and(2) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the evaluation described in paragraph (1).