H.R. 984 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide timely equitable relief to an individual who suffers a loss based on an administrative error by the Secretary, and for other purposes.

This section requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide equitable relief for administrative errors not later than 120 days after determination (previously discretionary under 38 U.S.C. § 503). It further requires the Secretary promptly to cancel any agreement with a debt collector—as defined in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. § 1692a)—to collect an indebtedness determined to be erroneous (new 38 U.S.C. § 5314(a)(3)). (Thus, such relief—which may include payments or restoration of benefits to affected veterans—must now be provided on a mandatory timeline, and improper debt collection efforts must cease immediately upon error identification.)