Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2014

Summary: Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2014 - (Sec. 3) Requires the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), upon determining that the VA Secretary has not appropriately responded to an IG report that recommends actions to be taken by the Secretary to address a VA public health or safety issue, to notify the Secretary and the congressional veterans committees of such failure.  Requires the Secretary: (1) within 15 days after such notification, to submit to the IG a list of the names of each responsible VA manager and the matter for which the manager is responsible; (2) within 7 days after such submission, to notify each such manager of the covered issue; (3) to direct such manager to resolve the issue; (4) to provide the manager with appropriate counseling and a mitigation plan for resolving the issue; and (5) to ensure that a manager's performance review includes an evaluation of actions taken with respect to such issue.  Prohibits the Secretary from paying a bonus or award to any manager whose issue remains unresolved. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary, for the three years beginning on October 1, 2014, to transfer a veteran who is eligible for VA nursing home care to a medical foster home if: (1) the veteran requests that transfer, (2) the home meets the VA's standards, and (3) the transfer is made pursuant to a contract or agreement between the VA and the medical foster home.  Requires a veteran so transferred to agree, as a condition of such transfer, to accept VA home health services. Defines a &quot;medical foster home&quot; as a home designed to provide non-institutional, long-term, supportive care for veterans who are unable to live independently and prefer a family setting. (Sec. 5) Prohibits the Secretary from making a per diem payment to a public or nonprofit private entity for the provision of housing or housing services to homeless veterans unless such entity submits to the Secretary an annual certification that the building proposed for such housing or services is in compliance with codes relevant to the operations and level of care provided, licensing requirements, fire and safety requirements, and any other local requirements regarding the condition of the facility and the operation of the entity providing such housing or services. Directs the Secretary to include, in a currently required annual report on assistance to homeless veterans, an evaluation of the safety and accessibility of such facilities. (Sec. 6) Extends, through October 1, 2018, the current rates for fees on housing loans guaranteed by the VA, excluding the rates for fees on subsequent loans.  (Sec. 7) Extends through through May 31, 2017, the Secretary's authority to obtain veterans' income verification information from the Commissioner of Social Security or the Secretary of the Treasury.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Demanding Accountability for 
Veterans Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. SCORING OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

SEC. 3. ACCOUNTABILITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO INSPECTOR 
              GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 712. Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General
    ``(a) List of Managers.--(1) If the Inspector General of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs determines that the Secretary has not 
appropriately responded with significant progress to a covered report 
by the date specified in the action plan of the Secretary developed in 
response to such covered report--
            ``(A) the Inspector General shall notify the Committees on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
        and the Secretary of such failure to appropriately respond; and
            ``(B) not later than 15 days after such notification, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the Inspector General a list of the 
        names of each responsible manager and the matter in the action 
        plan for which the manager is responsible.
    ``(2) The Inspector General may not make public the names of 
responsible managers submitted under paragraph (1)(B).
    ``(b) Performance of Responsible Managers.--(1) The Secretary 
shall--
            ``(A) promptly notify each responsible manager of a covered 
        issue by not later than seven days after the date on which the 
        Secretary submits to the Inspector General the name of the 
        manager under subsection (a)(1)(B);
            ``(B) direct such manager to resolve such issue; and
            ``(C) provide such manager with appropriate counseling and 
        a mitigation plan with respect to resolving such issue.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall ensure that any performance review of a 
responsible manager includes an evaluation of whether the manager took 
appropriate actions during the period covered by the review to respond 
to the covered issue for which a request was made under subsection (a).
    ``(3) The Secretary may not pay to a responsible manager any bonus 
or award, including a performance award under section 5384 of title 5 
if the covered issue for which a request was made under subsection (a) 
is unresolved.
    ``(c) Role of Inspector General.--Any authority of the Inspector 
General provided under this section is in addition to any 
responsibility or authority provided to the Inspector General in the 
Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `covered issue' means, with respect to a 
        responsible manager, an issue described in a covered report for 
        which the manager is or was responsible.
            ``(2) The term `covered report' means a report by the 
        Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs that 
        recommends actions to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or 
        other official or employee of the Department) to address an 
        issue in the Department with respect to public health or 
        safety.
            ``(3) The term `responsible manager' means an individual 
        who--
                    ``(A) is an employee of the Department;
                    ``(B) is or was responsible for an issue included 
                in a covered report; and
                    ``(C) in being so responsible, is or was employed 
                in a management position, regardless of whether the 
                employee is in the competitive civil service, Senior 
                Executive Service, or other type of civil service.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
711 the following new item:

``712. Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General.''.

SEC. 4. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR TRANSFER 
              OF VETERANS NON-DEPARTMENT MEDICAL FOSTER HOMES.

    (a) Authority.--Section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h)(1) During the three-year period beginning on October 1, 2014, 
at the request of a veteran for whom the Secretary is required to 
provide nursing home care under section 1710A of this title, the 
Secretary may transfer the veteran to a medical foster home that meets 
Department standards, at the expense of the United States, pursuant to 
a contract or agreement entered into between the Secretary and the 
medical foster home for such purpose. A veteran who is transferred to a 
medical foster home under this subsection shall agree, as a condition 
of such transfer, to accept home health services furnished by the 
Secretary under section 1717 of this title.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term `medical foster 
home' means a home designed to provide non-institutional, long-term, 
supportive care for veterans who are unable to live independently and 
prefer a family setting.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (h) of title 38, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on October 1, 2014.

SEC. 5. CONDITIONS ON THE AWARD OF PER DIEM PAYMENTS BY THE SECRETARY 
              OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR THE PROVISION OF HOUSING OR 
              SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS.

    (a) Condition.--
            (1) In general.--Paragraph (1) of section 2012(c) of title 
        38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a per diem payment may 
not be provided under this section to a grant recipient or eligible 
entity unless the entity submits to the Secretary an annual 
certification, approved or verified by the authority having 
jurisdiction or a qualified third party, as determined by the 
Secretary, that the facility where the entity provides housing or 
services for homeless veterans using grant funds is in compliance with 
codes relevant to the operations and level of care provided, including 
applicable provisions of the most recently published version of the 
Life Safety Code or International Building Code and International Fire 
Code (or such versions of such codes that have been adopted as State or 
local codes by the jurisdiction in which the facility is located), 
licensing requirements, fire and safety requirements, and any other 
requirements in the jurisdiction in which the facility is located 
regarding the condition of the facility and the operation of the entity 
providing such supportive housing or services. For purposes of this 
paragraph, if a facility where a grant recipient or eligible entity 
provides housing or services for homeless veterans using grant funds is 
located in a jurisdiction without relevant code requirements, the 
Secretary shall determine code and inspection requirements to be 
applied to the facility.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply with respect to an application for a per diem 
        payment under section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, 
        submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Annual Report.--Section 2065(b) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
        paragraph (6):
            ``(6) The Secretary's evaluation of the safety and 
        accessibility of facilities used to provide programs 
        established by grant recipients or eligible entities under 
        sections 2011 and 2012 of this title, including the number of 
        such grant recipients or eligible entities who have submitted a 
        certification under section 2012(c)(1).''.
    (c) Treatment of Current Recipients.--In the case of the recipient 
of a per diem payment under section 2012 of title 38, United States 
Code, that receives such a payment during the year in which this Act is 
enacted, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require the recipient 
to submit the certification required under section 2012(c)(1) of such 
title, as amended by subsection (a)(1), by not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. If the recipient fails to 
submit such certification by such date, the Secretary may not make any 
additional per diem payments to the recipient under such section 2012 
until the recipient submits such certification.

SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF LOAN GUARANTY FEE FOR CERTAIN SUBSEQUENT LOANS.

    (a) Extension.--Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) in clause (iii), by striking ``October 1, 
                2017'' and inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
                    (B) in clause (iv), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' 
                and inserting ``October 1, 2018'';
            (2) in subparagraph (C)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' 
                and inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' 
                and inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
            (3) in subparagraph (D)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' 
                and inserting ``October 1, 2018''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``October 1, 2017'' 
                and inserting ``October 1, 2018''.

SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO 
              OBTAIN CERTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE 
              TREASURY OR THE COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY.

    Section 5317 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``September 30, 2016'' and inserting ``May 31, 2017''.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 9, 2014.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.