diff --git a/apps/decoder.c b/apps/decoder.c
index 01e6b4f3d191111aedb4889aa3d9a391dfbc5f7e..5b0193cb7c57c375908f24d25792a8e28c4358d6 100644
--- a/apps/decoder.c
+++ b/apps/decoder.c
@@ -2334,7 +2334,11 @@ static ivas_error decodeG192(
                 {
                     if ( ( error = TsmScaleFileReader_readScale( tsmScaleFileReader, &scale ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
                     {
+#ifdef FIX_699_FILE_READER_JBM_TSM
+                        fprintf( stderr, "\nError (%s) when reading TSM data from %s \n\n", arg.inputBitstreamFilename, TsmScaleFileReader_getFilePath( tsmScaleFileReader ) );
+#else
                         fprintf( stderr, "\nError: input bitstream file couldn't be read: %s \n\n", arg.inputBitstreamFilename );
+#endif
                         goto cleanup;
                     }
                     int16_t maxScaling;
@@ -2426,7 +2430,6 @@ static ivas_error decodeG192(
 #endif
                 }
             }
-
         } while ( nSamplesRendered < nOutSamples && error == IVAS_ERR_OK );
 
         if ( error == IVAS_ERR_END_OF_FILE )
diff --git a/apps/encoder.c b/apps/encoder.c
index 882187601b539d6dde206b746bfaf6246468a760..835c4d18f948ad2861ec970f41e55240e9912023 100644
--- a/apps/encoder.c
+++ b/apps/encoder.c
@@ -686,7 +686,11 @@ int main(
         {
             if ( ( error = JbmFileReader_readCAconfig( jbmReader, &caConfig ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
             {
+#ifdef FIX_699_FILE_READER_JBM_TSM
+                fprintf( stderr, "\nError (%s) while reading Channel-Aware Config. from: %s\n\n", IVAS_ENC_GetErrorMessage( error ), JbmFileReader_getFilePath( jbmReader ) );
+#else
                 fprintf( stderr, "JbmFileReader_readCAconfig() failed: %s\n\n", IVAS_ENC_GetErrorMessage( error ) );
+#endif
                 goto cleanup;
             }
 
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 43efa024c80d56ef7a2cb60530f4933f02de4d14..250765caee5bb1aa7afbaa969c74d30d4e15eab0 100755
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@
 /*#define SPLIT_REND_WITH_HEAD_ROT  */                  /* Dlb,FhG: Split Rendering contributions 21 and 35 */
 
 #define FIX_966_VAR_OVERFLOW_IN_HARM_MODEL_ARI          /* FhG: fix and undef behaviour bug in the harmonic TCX model arithmetic coder */
-
+#define FIX_699_FILE_READER_JBM_TSM                     /* VA: issue 699: complement FileReader_getFilePath() logic for TSM and JBM */
 
 
 
diff --git a/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.c b/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.c
index 775462253b3542ade33573ff288f8fb6c6c0c23f..147f077f66f498c1254179ad7a79367d261c5ad1 100644
--- a/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.c
+++ b/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.c
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#ifdef DEBUGGING
+#ifdef VARIABLE_SPEED_DECODING
+
 struct TsmScaleFileReader
 {
     FILE *file;
@@ -146,3 +149,6 @@ const char *TsmScaleFileReader_getFilePath(
 
     return self->file_path;
 }
+
+#endif
+#endif
diff --git a/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.h b/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.h
index 4fe560e39b12eae0eb13ee80ba3b3b9e4bb2366d..7666a3b5946a1a1aeb5868dd5f2ff9e48ebd03f1 100644
--- a/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.h
+++ b/lib_util/tsm_scale_file_reader.h
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@
 
 /* clang-format off */
 
+#ifdef DEBUGGING
+#ifdef VARIABLE_SPEED_DECODING
+
 typedef struct TsmScaleFileReader TsmScaleFileReader;
 
 
@@ -59,6 +62,9 @@ const char *TsmScaleFileReader_getFilePath(
     TsmScaleFileReader* self                 /* i/o: TsmScaleFileReader handle              */
 );
 
+#endif
+#endif
+
 /* clang-format on */
 
 #endif /* IVAS_TSM_SCALE_FILE_READER_H */