103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4013

AN ACT

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide

istration.flexibility in staffing the Veterans Health Adminthe Secretary of Veterans Affairs with necessary
103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4013

AN ACT

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with necessary flexibility in

staffing the Veterans Health Administration.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 The Congress makes the following findings:
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1 (1) Under proposals for national health care re2 form, the Department of Veterans Affairs would be

3 required to establish an enrollment system for veter4 ans and to provide health care on a competitive basis

5 with other, private health care providers.

6 (2) In order to be able to implement changes

7 contemplated by proposals for national health care

8 reform, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must have

9 flexibility to restructure and reform the Veterans

10 Health Administration as necessary without exter11 nally imposed constraints on full-time equivalent em12 ployee (FTEE) positions levels.

13 (3) The Office of Management and Budget, as

14 part of an announced plan to require a reduction

15 over five years of 252,000 FTEE positions in the

16 executive branch, proposes to require reductions of

17 FTEE positions totaling 25,493 in personnel of the

18 Veterans Health Administration, a reduction in per19 sonnel which would severely impede the ability of the

20 Department of Veterans Affairs to implement na21 tional health care reform and to meet the respon22 sibilities of the Department under existing law.
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1 SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT LEVEL IN VETERANS HEALTH AD2 MINISTRATION.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the follow5 ing new section:

6 ‘‘§ 713. Full-time equivalent employees: limitation on

7 reduction

8 ‘‘(a) During the five-year period beginning on Octo9 ber 1, 1994, no reduction may be made in the number

10 of full-time equivalent employees in the Veterans Health

11 Administration other than as specifically required by a law

12 directing reductions in personnel or positions of the Veter13 ans Health Administration or by the availability of funds.

14 During that period, the personnel of the Veterans Health

15 Administration shall be managed on the basis of the needs

16 of eligible veterans and the availability of funds.

17 ‘‘(b) During the period specified in subsection (a), no

18 law imposing a restriction on hiring by executive agencies

19 for the purpose of achieving workforce reductions shall

20 apply to the Veterans Health Administration.

21 ‘‘(c) No law may be construed as suspending or modi22 fying this section unless such law specifically refers to or

23 amends this section.’’.

24 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

25 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding

26 at the end the following new item:
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‘‘713. Full-time equivalent employees: limitation on reduction.’’.

1 SEC. 3. REPORT ON STREAMLINING.

2 Not later than January 15, 1995, the Secretary of

3 Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veter4 ans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives

5 a report on streamlining activities in the Veterans Health

6 Administration. The report shall include a description

7 of—

8 (1) opportunities to improve the efficiency and

9 effectiveness of delivery of health care services in the

10 Veterans Health Administration through consolida11 tion, reorganization, or other means;

12 (2) plans and actions taken to realize such effi13 ciencies; and

14 (3) impediments to implementing particular

15 plans.

Passed the House of Representatives April 28, 1994.

Attest:

Clerk.