§ 10285 — Administrative Provisions

(a) The Bureau is authorized to establish such rules, regulations, and procedures as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. Such rules, regulations, and procedures will be determinative of conflict of laws issues arising under this subchapter. Rules, regulations, and procedures issued under this subchapter may include regulations governing the recognition of agents or other persons representing claimants under this subchapter before the Bureau. Rules, regulations, and procedures issued under this subchapter may include regulations based on standards developed by another Federal agency for programs related to public safety officer death or disability claims. The Bureau may prescribe the maximum fees which may be charged for services performed in connection with any claim under this subchapter before the Bureau, and any agreement in violation of such rules and regulations shall be void. (1) In making determinations under section 10281 of this title, the Bureau may utilize such administrative and investigative assistance as may be available from State and local agencies. Responsibility for making final determinations shall rest with the Bureau. (2) In making a determination under section 10281 of this title, the Bureau shall give substantial weight to the evidence and all findings of fact presented by a State, local, or Federal administrative or investigative agency regarding eligibility for death or disability benefits. (3) If the head of a State, local, or Federal administrative or investigative agency, in consultation with the principal legal officer of the agency, provides a certification of facts regarding eligibility for death or disability benefits, the Bureau shall adopt the factual findings, if the factual findings are supported by substantial evidence. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Bureau is authorized to use appropriated funds to conduct appeals of public safety officers’ death and disability claims. (d) Unless expressly provided otherwise, any reference in this subchapter to any provision of law not in this subchapter shall be understood to constitute a general reference under the doctrine of incorporation by reference, and thus to include any subsequent amendments to the provision. (A) Not later than 30 days after June 2, 2017, the Bureau shall make available on the public website of the Bureau information on all death, disability, and educational assistance claims submitted under this subchapter that are pending as of the date on which the information is made available. (B) Not less frequently than once per week, the Bureau shall make available on the public website of the Bureau updated information with respect to all death, disability, and educational assistance claims submitted under this subchapter that are pending as of the date on which the information is made available. (C) The information made available under this paragraph shall include— (i) for each pending claim— (I) the date on which the claim was submitted to the Bureau; (II) the State of residence of the claimant; (III) an anonymized, identifying claim number; and (IV) the nature of the claim; and (ii) the total number of pending claims that were submitted to the Bureau more than 1 year before the date on which the information is made available. (2) Not later than 180 days after June 2, 2017, the Bureau shall publish on the public website of the Bureau a report, and shall update such report on such website not less than once every 180 days thereafter, containing— (A) the total number of claims for which a final determination has been made during the 180-day period preceding the report; (B) the amount of time required to process each claim for which a final determination has been made during the 180-day period preceding the report; (C) as of the last day of the 180-day period preceding the report, the total number of claims submitted to the Bureau on or before that date for which a final determination has not been made; (D) as of the last day of the 180-day period preceding the report, the total number of claims submitted to the Bureau on or before the date that is 1 year before that date for which a final determination has not been made; (E) for each claim described in subparagraph (D), a detailed description of the basis for delay; (F) as of the last day of the 180-day period preceding the report, the total number of claims submitted to the Bureau on or before that date relating to exposure due to the September 11th, 2001, terrorism attacks for which a final determination has not been made; (G) as of the last day of the 180-day period preceding the report, the total number of claims submitted to the Bureau on or before the date that is 1 year before that date relating to exposure due to the September 11th, 2001, terrorism attacks for which a final determination has not been made; (H) for each claim described in subparagraph (G), a detailed description of the basis for delay; (I) the total number of claims submitted to the Bureau relating to exposure due to the September 11th, 2001, terrorism attacks for which a final determination was made during the 180-day period preceding the report, and the average award amount for any such claims that were approved; (J) the result of each claim for which a final determination was made during the 180-day period preceding the report, including the number of claims rejected and the basis for any denial of benefits; (K) the number of final determinations which were appealed during the 180-day period preceding the report, regardless of when the final determination was first made; (L) the average number of claims processed per reviewer of the Bureau during the 180-day period preceding the report; (M) for any claim submitted to the Bureau that required the submission of additional information from a public agency, and for which the public agency completed providing all of the required information during the 180-day period preceding the report, the average length of the period beginning on the date the public agency was contacted by the Bureau and ending on the date on which the public agency submitted all required information to the Bureau; (N) for any claim submitted to the Bureau for which the Bureau issued a subpoena to a public agency during the 180-day period preceding the report in order to obtain information or documentation necessary to determine the claim, the name of the public agency, the date on which the subpoena was issued, and the dates on which the public agency was contacted by the Bureau before the issuance of the subpoena; and (O) information on the compliance of the Bureau with the obligation to offset award amounts under section 10281(f)(3) of this title, including— (i) the number of claims that are eligible for compensation under both this subchapter and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note; Public Law 107–42) (commonly referred to as the “VCF”); (ii) for each claim described in clause (i) for which compensation has been paid under the VCF, the amount of compensation paid under the VCF; (iii) the number of claims described in clause (i) for which the Bureau has made a final determination; and (iv) the number of claims described in clause (i) for which the Bureau has not made a final determination. (3) Not later than 2 years after June 2, 2017, and 2 years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall— (A) conduct a study on the compliance of the Bureau with the obligation to offset award amounts under section 10281(f)(3) of this title; and (B) submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subparagraph (A) that includes an assessment of whether the Bureau has provided the information required under subparagraph (I) of paragraph (2) of this subsection in each report required under that paragraph. (4) In this subsection, the term “nature of the claim” means whether the claim is a claim for— (A) benefits under this part with respect to the death of a public safety officer; (B) benefits under this part with respect to the disability of a public safety officer; or (C) education assistance under part B.