IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 467 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 25, 2017 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that 

each medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with requirements relating to scheduling 

veterans for health care appointments, to improve the 

uniform application of directives of the Department, and 

for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Scheduling Ac3 countability Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE WITH SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS. 

5 (a) ANNUAL CERTIFICATION.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

7 Affairs shall ensure that the director of each medical 

8 facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs annu9 ally certifies to the Secretary that the medical facil10 ity is in full compliance with all provisions of law 

11 and regulations relating to scheduling appointments 

12 for veterans to receive hospital care and medical 

13 services, including pursuant to Veterans Health Ad14 ministration Directive 2010–027, or any successor 

15 directive. 

16 (2) PROHIBITION ON WAIVER.—The Secretary 

17 may not waive any provision of the laws or regula18 tions described in paragraph (1) for a medical facil19 ity of the Department if such provision otherwise ap20 plies to the medical facility. 

21 (b) EXPLANATION OF NONCOMPLIANCE.—If a direc22 tor of a medical facility of the Department does not make 

23 a certification under subsection (a)(1) for any year, the 

24 director shall submit to the Secretary a report con25 taining— 


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1 (1) an explanation of why the director is unable 

2 to make such certification; and 

3 (2) a description of the actions the director is 

4 taking to ensure full compliance with the laws and 

5 regulations described in such subsection. 

6 (c) PROHIBITION ON BONUSES BASED ON NON7 COMPLIANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—If a director of a medical fa9 cility of the Department does not make a certifi10 cation under subsection (a)(1) for any year, each 

11 covered official described in paragraph (2) may not 

12 receive an award or bonus under chapter 45 or 53 

13 of title 5, United States Code, or any other award 

14 or bonus authorized under such title or title 38, 

15 United States Code, during the year following the 

16 year in which the certification was not made. 

17 (2) COVERED OFFICIAL.—A covered official de18 scribed in this paragraph is each official who serves 

19 in the following positions at a medical facility of the 

20 Department during a year, or portion thereof, for 

21 which the director does not make a certification 

22 under subsection (a)(1): 

23 (A) The director. 

24 (B) The chief of staff. 

25 (C) The associate director. 


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1 (D) The associate director for patient care. 

2 (E) The deputy chief of staff. 

3 (d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually 

4 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

5 House of Representative and the Senate a report con6 taining, with respect to the year covered by the report— 

7 (1) a list of each medical facility of the Depart8 ment for which a certification was made under sub9 section (a)(1); and 

10 (2) a list of each medical facility of the Depart11 ment for which such a certification was not made, 

12 including a copy of each report submitted to the 

13 Secretary under subsection (b). 

14 SEC. 3. STANDARDIZED APPLICATION OF DIRECTIVES AND 

15 POLICIES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF16 FAIRS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

18 shall ensure that the directives and policies of the Depart19 ment of Veterans Affairs apply to, and are implemented 

20 by, each office or facility of the Department in a standard21 ized manner, including such offices and facilities at the 

22 local level. 

23 (b) NOTIFICATION.—If the Secretary does not apply 

24 and implement the directives and policies of the Depart25 ment in a standardized manner pursuant to subsection 


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1 (a), including by waiving such a directive or policy with 

2 respect to an office or facility of the Department, the Sec3 retary shall notify the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

4 of the House of Representatives and the Senate of such 

5 nonstandardized application or implementation, including 

6 an explanation for the nonstandardized application or im7 plementation, as the case may be. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 24, 2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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