IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1367 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 21, 2017 

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

AN ACT 

To improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

to hire and retain physicians and other employees of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Modification to annual determination of staffing shortages in Veterans 

Health Administration. 

Sec. 3. Executive management fellowship program. 

Sec. 4. Accountability of leaders for managing the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 5. Modification to veterans preference. 

Sec. 6. Reemployment of former employees. 

Sec. 7. Recruiting database. 

Sec. 8. Human resources academy. 

Sec. 9. Promotional opportunities for technical experts. 

Sec. 10. Comptroller General study on succession planning. 

Sec. 11. Employment of students and recent graduates. 

Sec. 12. Exit surveys. 

Sec. 13. Encouraging transition of military medical professionals into employment with Veterans Health Administration. 

Sec. 14. Plan to hire directors of medical centers of Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

Sec. 15. Recruitment of physicians in Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 SEC. 2. MODIFICATION TO ANNUAL DETERMINATION OF 

4 STAFFING SHORTAGES IN VETERANS HEALTH 

5 ADMINISTRATION. 

6 Section 7412(a) of title 38, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘the five occupations’’ and in9 serting ‘‘at a minimum, the five clinical occupations 

10 and the five nonclinical occupations’’; and 

11 (2) by striking ‘‘throughout the Department’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘with respect to each medical center of 

13 the Department,’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

2 (a) FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.—Chapter 7 of title 38, 

3 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

4 following new subchapter: 

5 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT 

6 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 

7 ‘‘§ 741. Executive Management Fellowship Program 

8 ‘‘(a) FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.—There is in the De9 partment an Executive Management Fellowship Program. 

10 The purpose of the program shall be to provide— 

11 ‘‘(1) eligible employees of the Veterans Benefits 

12 Administration and the Veterans Health Administra13 tion with training and experience in the private sec14 tor; and 

15 ‘‘(2) eligible employees of a private-sector entity 

16 with training and experience in the Department of 

17 Veterans Affairs. 

18 ‘‘(b) FELLOWSHIP.—(1) A fellowship provided under 

19 this section is a 1-year fellowship during which— 

20 ‘‘(A) with respect to a Department participant, 

21 the participant receives training and experience at a 

22 private-sector entity that is engaged in the adminis23 tration and delivery of health care or other services 

24 similar to the benefits administered by the Sec25 retary; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) with respect to a private-sector partici2 pant, the participant receives training and experi3 ence at the Veterans Benefits Administration or the 

4 Veterans Health Administration. 

5 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall enter into such agreements 

6 with private-sector entities as are necessary to carry out 

7 this section. 

8 ‘‘(c) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.—(1) In August of 

9 each year, the Secretary shall select— 

10 ‘‘(A) not fewer than 18 and not more than 30 

11 eligible employees of the Veterans Benefits Adminis12 tration and the Veterans Health Administration to 

13 receive a fellowship under this section; and 

14 ‘‘(B) not fewer than 18 and not more than 30 

15 eligible employees of private-sector entities to receive 

16 a fellowship under this section. 

17 ‘‘(2) To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall se18 lect eligible employees under subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

19 of paragraph (1) from among eligible employees who are 

20 veterans in a manner that is reflective of the demographics 

21 of the veteran population of the United States and that 

22 whenever practicable provides a preference to such em23 ployees who represent or service rural areas. 

24 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES.—For the purposes of 

25 this section, an eligible employee is— 


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1 ‘‘(1) with respect to an employee of the Vet2 erans Benefits Administration or the Veterans 

3 Health Administration, an employee who— 

4 ‘‘(A) is compensated at a rate of basic pay 

5 not less than the minimum rate of basic pay 

6 payable for grade GS–14 of the General Sched7 ule and not more than either the minimum rate 

8 of basic pay payable to a member of the Senior 

9 Executive Service under section 5382 of title 5, 

10 United States Code, or the minimum rate of 

11 basic pay payable pursuant to chapter 74 of 

12 this title, as the case may be; 

13 ‘‘(B) enters into an agreement with the 

14 Secretary under subsection (e); and 

15 ‘‘(C) submits to the Secretary an applica16 tion containing such information and assur17 ances as the Secretary may require; and 

18 ‘‘(2) with respect to an employee of a private19 sector entity, an employee who— 

20 ‘‘(A) is employed in a position whose du21 ties and responsibilities are commensurate with 

22 an employee of the Department described in 

23 paragraph (1); 

24 ‘‘(B) enters into an agreement with the 

25 Secretary under subsection (e); and 


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1 ‘‘(C) submits to the Secretary an applica2 tion containing such information and assur3 ances as the Secretary may require. 

4 ‘‘(e) AGREEMENTS.—(1) An agreement between the 

5 Secretary and a Department participant shall be in writ6 ing, shall be signed by the participant, and shall include 

7 the following provisions: 

8 ‘‘(A) The Secretary’s agreement to provide the 

9 participant with a fellowship under this section; 

10 ‘‘(B) The participant’s agreement— 

11 ‘‘(i) to accept the fellowship; 

12 ‘‘(ii) after completion of the fellowship, to 

13 serve as a full-time employee in the Veterans 

14 Benefits Administration or the Veterans Health 

15 Administration for at least 2 years as specified 

16 in the agreement; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) that, during the 2-year period begin18 ning on the last day of the fellowship, the par19 ticipant will not accept employment in the same 

20 industry as the industry of the private-sector 

21 entity at which the participant accepts the fel22 lowship. 

23 ‘‘(C) A provision that any financial obligation of 

24 the United States arising out of an agreement en25 tered into under this subchapter, and any obligation 


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1 of the participant which is conditioned on such 

2 agreement, is contingent upon funds being appro3 priated. 

4 ‘‘(D) A statement of the damages to which the 

5 United States is entitled under this subchapter for 

6 the participant’s breach of the agreement. 

7 ‘‘(E) Such other terms as the Secretary deter8 mines are required to be included in the agreement. 

9 ‘‘(2) An agreement between the Secretary and a pri10 vate-sector participant shall be in writing, shall be signed 

11 by the participant, and shall include the following provi12 sions: 

13 ‘‘(A) The Secretary’s agreement to provide the 

14 participant with a fellowship under this section. 

15 ‘‘(B) The participant’s agreement to accept the 

16 fellowship. 

17 ‘‘(C) Such other terms as the Secretary deter18 mines are required to be included in the agreement. 

19 ‘‘(f) TREATMENT OF RECIPIENTS.—(1) A Depart20 ment participant shall be considered an employee of the 

21 Department for all purposes, including for purposes of re22 ceiving a salary and benefits, and shall remain eligible for 

23 all promotion and incentive programs otherwise available 

24 to such an employee. 


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1 ‘‘(2) A private-sector participant shall be considered 

2 an employee of the private-sector entity that employs the 

3 participant for all purposes, including for purposes of re4 ceiving a salary and benefits, and during the fellowship 

5 shall be treated as a contractor of the Department. 

6 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—Not later than 60 days after com7 pleting a fellowship under this section, a recipient of the 

8 fellowship shall submit to the Secretary a report on the 

9 fellowship. Each such report shall describe the duties of 

10 the recipient during the fellowship and any recommenda11 tions of the recipient for the application by the Secretary 

12 of industry processes, technologies, and best practices. Not 

13 later than 7 days after receiving each such report, the Sec14 retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

15 of the Senate and House of Representatives such report 

16 without change. 

17 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) The term ‘Department participant’ means 

19 an employee of the Veterans Benefits Administration 

20 or the Veterans Health Administration who is par21 ticipating in the fellowship under this section. 

22 ‘‘(2) The term ‘private-sector entity’ includes 

23 an entity operating under a public-private partner24 ship. 


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1 ‘‘(3) The term ‘private-sector participant’ 

2 means an employee of a private-sector entity who is 

3 participating in the fellowship under this section.’’. 

4 (b) DEADLINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later 

5 than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

6 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement the Ex7 ecutive Management Fellowship Program required under 

8 section 741 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 

9 subsection (a). 

10 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

11 at the beginning of chapter 7 of title 38, United States 

12 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 

13 items: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

‘‘741. Executive Management Fellowship Program.’’. 

14 SEC. 4. ACCOUNTABILITY OF LEADERS FOR MANAGING 

15 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

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

17 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 717 the 

18 following new section: 

19 ‘‘§ 719. Annual performance plan for political ap20 pointees 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct an 

22 annual performance plan for each political appointee of 

23 the Department that is similar to the annual performance 

24 plan conducted for an employee of the Department who 


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1 is appointed as a career appointee (as that term is defined 

2 in section 3132(a)(4) of title 5) within the Senior Execu3 tive Service at the Department. 

4 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS OF PLAN.—Each annual perform5 ance plan conducted under subsection (a) with respect to 

6 a political appointee of the Department shall include an 

7 assessment of whether the appointee is meeting the fol8 lowing goals: 

9 ‘‘(1) Recruiting, selecting, and retaining well10 qualified individuals for employment at the Depart11 ment. 

12 ‘‘(2) Engaging and motivating employees. 

13 ‘‘(3) Training and developing employees and 

14 preparing those employees for future leadership roles 

15 within the Department. 

16 ‘‘(4) Holding each employee of the Department 

17 that is a manager accountable for addressing issues 

18 relating to performance, in particular issues relating 

19 to the performance of employees that report to the 

20 manager. 

21 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF POLITICAL APPOINTEE.—In 

22 this section, the term ‘political appointee’ means an em23 ployee of the Department who holds— 

24 ‘‘(1) a position which has been excepted from 

25 the competitive service by reason of its confidential, 


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1 policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advo2 cating character; or 

3 ‘‘(2) a position in the Senior Executive Service 

4 as a noncareer appointee (as such term is defined in 

5 section 3132(a) of title 5).’’. 

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

7 at the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amended by 

8 inserting after the item relating to section 717 the fol9 lowing new item: 

‘‘719. Annual performance plan for political appointees.’’. 

10 SEC. 5. MODIFICATION TO VETERANS PREFERENCE. 

11 (a) ACTIVE DUTY REQUIREMENT.—Section 

12 2108(1)(B) and (D) of title 5, United States Code, are 

13 amended by striking ‘‘consecutive’’ in each instance it ap14 pears and inserting ‘‘cumulative’’. 

15 (b) EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY OF RETIRED VET16 ERANS.—Section 2108(4) of title 5, United States Code, 

17 is amended to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(4) ‘preference eligible’ includes a retired 

19 member of the armed forces; and’’. 

20 SEC. 6. REEMPLOYMENT OF FORMER EMPLOYEES. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sections 3309 

22 through 3318 of title 5, United States Code, the Secretary 

23 of Veterans Affairs may noncompetitively appoint a quali24 fied former career or career conditional employee to any 

25 position within the competitive service at the Department 


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1 of Veterans Affairs that is one grade or equivalent higher 

2 than the grade or equivalent of the position at the Depart3 ment most recently occupied by the employee. 

4 (b) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not appoint a 

5 qualified former employee to a position that is more than 

6 one grade (or equivalent) higher than the position at the 

7 Department most recently occupied by the employee. 

8 (c) DEFINITION OF QUALIFIED FORMER EM9 PLOYEE.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘‘quali10 fied former employee’’ means any individual who— 

11 (1) formerly occupied any career or career con12 ditional position at the Department of Veterans Af13 fairs within 2 years before applying for reemploy14 ment at the Department; 

15 (2) voluntarily left such position, or was subject 

16 to a reduction in force, and had a satisfactory per17 formance record while occupying such position; and 

18 (3) since leaving such position has maintained 

19 licensing requirements, related to the position, if 

20 any, and gained skill, knowledge, or other factors re21 lated to the position. 

22 SEC. 7. RECRUITING DATABASE. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 

24 Affairs shall establish a single database that lists— 


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1 (1) each vacant position in the Department of 

2 Veterans Affairs that the Secretary determines is 

3 critical to the mission of the Department, difficult to 

4 fill, or both; and 

5 (2) each vacant position in the Department of 

6 Veterans Affairs for a mental health professional. 

7 (b) QUALIFIED APPLICANT.—If the Secretary deter8 mines that an applicant for a vacant position listed in the 

9 database established under subsection (a) is qualified for 

10 such position but does not select the applicant for such 

11 position, the Secretary, at the election of the applicant, 

12 may consider the applicant for other similar vacant posi13 tions listed in the database for which the applicant is 

14 qualified. 

15 (c) PROLONGED VACANCIES.—If the Secretary does 

16 not fill a vacant position listed in the database established 

17 under subsection (a) after a period determined appro18 priate by the Secretary, the Secretary— 

19 (1) may ensure that applicants described in 

20 subsection (b) are considered for such position; and 

21 (2) may use the database established under 

22 subsection (a) to assist in filling such position. 

23 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

24 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 


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1 to Congress a report on the use and efficacy of the data2 base established under subsection (a). 

3 SEC. 8. HUMAN RESOURCES ACADEMY. 

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

5 shall provide to human resources professionals of the Vet6 erans Health Administration of the Department of Vet7 erans Affairs training on how to best recruit and retain 

8 employees of the Veterans Health Administration, includ9 ing with respect to any recruitment and retention matters 

10 that are unique to the Veterans Health Administration 

11 pursuant to chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, 

12 or other provisions of law. The Secretary shall provide 

13 such training virtually. 

14 (b) AMOUNT OF TRAINING.—The Secretary shall en15 sure that each human resources professional of the Vet16 erans Health Administration receives the training de17 scribed in subsection (a)— 

18 (1) as soon as practicable after being hired by 

19 the Secretary as a human resource professional; and 

20 (2) annually thereafter. 

21 (c) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall require 

22 that each human resources professional of the Veterans 

23 Health Administration, upon the completion of the train24 ing described in subsection (a), certifies that the profesVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Mar 21, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1367.RFS H1367

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1 sional received the training and understands the informa2 tion provided by the training. 

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

4 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

5 Representatives and the Senate an annual report on the 

6 training described in subsection (a), including the cost of 

7 providing such training and the number of human re8 sources professionals who received such training during 

9 the year covered by the report. 

10 SEC. 9. PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECHNICAL 

11 EXPERTS. 

12 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

13 of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall estab14 lish a promotional track system for employees of the De15 partment of Veterans Affairs that the Secretary deter16 mines are technical experts pursuant to regulations pre17 scribed by the Secretary for purposes of carrying out this 

18 section. Such system shall— 

19 (1) provide any such employee the opportunity 

20 to advance within the Department without being re21 quired to transition to a management position; and 

22 (2) for purposes of achieving career advance23 ment— 

24 (A) provide for the establishment of new 

25 positions within the Department; and 


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1 (B) notwithstanding any other provision of 

2 law, provide for increases in pay for any such 

3 employee. 

4 SEC. 10. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON SUCCESSION 

5 PLANNING. 

6 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

7 States shall conduct a study on each of the following: 

8 (1) The succession planning at each medical fa9 cility of the Department of Veterans Affairs, includ10 ing each medical center, domiciliary facility, out11 patient clinic, community-based outpatient clinic, 

12 and vet center. 

13 (2) The succession planning at the Veterans 

14 Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery 

15 Administration of the Department. 

16 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study under subsection (a) 

17 shall include, for each entity studied under the study, the 

18 following: 

19 (1) A determination of the mission-critical posi20 tions within the entity and the vacancy risk of such 

21 positions. 

22 (2) An analysis of the future needs for mission23 critical positions and gaps within the existing talent 

24 pool of the entity. 


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1 (3) A description of strategies to close skill 

2 gaps through the use of training for existing staff, 

3 targeted recruitment, and hiring. 

4 (4) A plan to regularly evaluate progress of 

5 staff and update existing succession plans using 

6 clear and measurable metrics and benchmarks. 

7 (5) A demonstration of the capacity of the enti8 ty to execute succession plans with successful succes9 sion management strategies. 

10 (6) An analysis of succession planning and hir11 ing as it relates to rural areas. 

12 (7) Any other matters the Comptroller General 

13 determines appropriate. 

14 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

16 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

17 House of Representatives and the Senate a report con18 taining each study conducted under subsection (a). 

19 SEC. 11. EMPLOYMENT OF STUDENTS AND RECENT GRAD20 UATES. 

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

22 shall prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service ap23 pointments of students and recent graduates leading to 

24 conversion to career or career conditional employment of 


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1 a student or recent graduate of a qualifying educational 

2 institution, as defined by the Department. 

3 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The conversion authority de4 scribed in subsection (a) shall be applicable to individuals 

5 in good standing who— 

6 (1) are employed in a qualifying internship or 

7 fellowship program at the Department; 

8 (2) are employed in the Department in a volun9 teer capacity and performing substantive duties com10 parable to those of individuals in internship or fel11 lowship programs and meet the required number of 

12 hours for conversion; 

13 (3) are employed in the Department under a 

14 contract or agreement with an external nonprofit or15 ganization and performing substantive duties com16 parable to those of individuals in internship or fel17 lowship programs; 

18 (4) have received educational assistance under 

19 chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code; or 

20 (5) graduated from a qualifying educational in21 stitution, as defined by the Department, and have 

22 not reached 30 years of age. 

23 (c) UNIFORMITY.—For the purposes of subsections 

24 (b)(2) and (b)(3), hours of work performed by an indi25 vidual employed shall be considered equal to those perVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:04 Mar 21, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1367.RFS H1367

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1 formed by an individual employed in a qualifying intern2 ship or fellowship program by the Department. 

3 SEC. 12. EXIT SURVEYS. 

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

5 shall develop and carry out a standardized exit survey to 

6 be voluntarily completed by career and noncareer employ7 ees and executives of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

8 who voluntarily separate from the Department. Such exit 

9 survey shall be developed in consultation with an appro10 priate non-Department entity with experience developing 

11 such surveys. 

12 (b) SURVEY CONTENT.—The survey shall include, at 

13 a minimum— 

14 (1) reasons for leaving the Department; 

15 (2) efforts made by the supervisor of the em16 ployee to retain the individual; 

17 (3) the extent of job satisfaction and engage18 ment during the employment; 

19 (4) the intent of employee to either remain em20 ployed within the Federal Government or to leave 

21 employment with the Federal Government; and 

22 (5) such other matters as the Secretary deter23 mines appropriate. 

24 (c) ANONYMITY OF SURVEY CONTENT.—The Sec25 retary shall ensure that data collected under subsection 


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1 (a) is anonymized, including through the use of a location 

2 that allows for privacy, is not directly visible by another 

3 employee, and does not require the departing employee to 

4 input any personally identifiable data. 

5 (d) SHARING OF SURVEY DATA.—The Secretary 

6 shall ensure that the results of the survey required by sub7 section (a) are aggregated at the Veterans Integrated 

8 Service Network level and are shared on an annual basis 

9 with directors and managers of facilities of the Depart10 ment and the Veterans Integrated Service Networks. 

11 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

12 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

13 Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af14 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 

15 report containing the aggregate results of the exit survey 

16 under subsection (a) covering the year prior to the report. 

17 The report shall include— 

18 (1) an analysis of the most common reasons 

19 employees choose to leave the Department; 

20 (2) steps the Secretary is taking to improve re21 tention, particularly for mission-critical occupations; 

22 (3) the demographic characteristics of employ23 ees choosing to leave the Department; 

24 (4) any legislative barriers to improving em25 ployee retention; and 


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1 (5) the total number of employees who volun2 tarily separated from the Department and the num3 ber and percentage of whom took the exit survey 

4 under subsection (a). 

5 SEC. 13. ENCOURAGING TRANSITION OF MILITARY MED6 ICAL PROFESSIONALS INTO EMPLOYMENT 

7 WITH VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION. 

8 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a 

9 program to encourage an individual who serves in the 

10 Armed Forces with a military occupational specialty relat11 ing to the provision of health care to seek employment 

12 with the Veterans Health Administration when the indi13 vidual has been discharged or released from service in the 

14 Armed Forces or is contemplating separating from such 

15 service. 

16 SEC. 14. PLAN TO HIRE DIRECTORS OF MEDICAL CENTERS 

17 OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

18 (a) PLAN.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

19 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

20 Affairs shall develop and implement a plan to hire highly 

21 qualified directors for each medical center of the Depart22 ment of Veterans Affairs that lacks a permanent director 

23 as of the date of the plan. The Secretary shall prioritize 

24 the hiring of such directors for the medical centers that 

25 have not had a permanent director for the longest periods. 


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1 (b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The plan developed under 

2 subsection (a) shall include the following: 

3 (1) A deadline to hire the directors of the med4 ical centers of the Department as described in such 

5 subsection. 

6 (2) Identification of the possible impediments to 

7 such hiring. 

8 (3) Identification of opportunities to promote 

9 and train candidates from within the Department to 

10 senior executive positions in the Department, includ11 ing as directors of medical centers. 

12 (c) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 120 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub14 mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

15 of Representatives and the Senate the plan developed 

16 under subsection (a). 

17 (d) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 180 

18 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and each 

19 180-day period thereafter until January 1, 2018, the Sec20 retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

21 of the House of Representatives and the Senate a list of 

22 each medical center of the Department that lacks a per23 manent director as of the date of the report. 


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1 SEC. 15. RECRUITMENT OF PHYSICIANS IN DEPARTMENT 

2 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7402(b)(1) of title 38, 

4 United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) by inserting ‘‘or to be offered a contingent 

6 appointment to such position,’’ after ‘‘position,’’; and 

7 (2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting 

8 the following new subparagraph (B): 

9 ‘‘(B)(i) have completed a residency program 

10 satisfactory to the Secretary; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) with respect to an offer for a contingent 

12 appointment upon the completion of a post-graduate 

13 training program, complete such a residency pro14 gram by not later than 2 years after the date of 

15 such offer; and’’. 

16 (b) OVERSIGHT OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

17 PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall— 

18 (1) ensure that a recruiter or other similar offi19 cial of each Veterans Integrated Service Network 

20 visits, not less than annually, each allopathic and os21 teopathic teaching institution with a graduate med22 ical education program within the Network to re23 cruit individuals to be appointed to positions in the 

24 Veterans Health Administration; and 


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1 (2) submit to Congress an annual report on the 

2 implementation of paragraph (1), including the suc3 cess of such recruiting efforts. 

Passed the House of Representatives March 17, 

2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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