IB 

Union Calendar No. 170 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1994 

[Report No. 114–225, Part I] 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the removal or demotion 

of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 23, 2015 

Mr. MILLER of Florida (for himself, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

HUELSKAMP, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. BENISHEK, and Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

JULY 23, 2015 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BABIN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. ROUZER, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, 

Ms. SINEMA, Mr. FARENTHOLD, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. WESTMORELAND, 

Mr. STEWART, Mr. JONES, Mr. ROTHFUS, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. 

HENSARLING, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. JOYCE, Mr. DENT, Mr. PETERS, 

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia, Mr. KLINE, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. CRAMER, 

Ms. MCSALLY, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. EMMER of Minnesota, 

Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. BISHOP of Michigan, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. ZELDIN, 

Mr. DESANTIS, Mr. HILL, Mr. YOHO, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. GIBBS, 

Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. SALMON, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. JODY B. HICE of 

Georgia, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. KNIGHT, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. 

AMODEI, Mrs. ROBY, Mr. COFFMAN, Mr. MESSER, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. 

LOUDERMILK, Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. WILLIAMS, 

Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. 

CURBELO of Florida, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. PERRY, Mr. OLSON, 

Mr. ROONEY of Florida, Mr. GUINTA, Mr. PITTENGER, Mr. HUDSON, Mr. 

GOODLATTE, Mr. MICA, Mr. BARR, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. WALBERG, Mrs. 

LUMMIS, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. BOST, Mr. RIGELL, Mrs. 


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ELLMERS of North Carolina, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. MARINO, Mr. BRAT, Ms. 

HERRERA BEUTLER, Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California, Mr. NEWHOUSE, 

Mrs. LOVE, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FLORES, Ms. 

GRANGER, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. COOK, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. YOUNG of 

Iowa, Mr. KATKO, and Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania 

JULY 23, 2015 

Deleted sponsor: Mrs. LAWRENCE (added May 12, 2015; deleted June 2, 

2015) 

JULY 23, 2015 

Reported from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

JULY 23, 2015 

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform discharged; committed 

to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 23, 2015] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the 

removal or demotion of employees of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct, 

and for other purposes. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Accountability Act 

5 of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REMOVAL OR DEMOTION OF EMPLOYEES BASED ON 

7 PERFORMANCE OR MISCONDUCT. 

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

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

10 section: 

11 ‘‘§ 715. Employees: removal or demotion based on per12 formance or misconduct 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may remove or de14 mote an individual who is an employee of the Department 

15 if the Secretary determines the performance or misconduct 

16 of the individual warrants such removal or demotion. If 

17 the Secretary so removes or demotes such an individual, the 

18 Secretary may— 

19 ‘‘(1) remove the individual from the civil service 

20 (as defined in section 2101 of title 5); or 

21 ‘‘(2) demote the individual by means of— 

22 ‘‘(A) a reduction in grade for which the in23 dividual is qualified and that the Secretary de24 termines is appropriate; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) a reduction in annual rate of pay that 

2 the Secretary determines is appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(b) PAY OF CERTAIN DEMOTED INDIVIDUALS.—(1) 

4 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any indi5 vidual subject to a demotion under subsection (a)(2)(A) 

6 shall, beginning on the date of such demotion, receive the 

7 annual rate of pay applicable to such grade. 

8 ‘‘(2) An individual so demoted may not be placed on 

9 administrative leave or any other category of paid leave 

10 during the period during which an appeal (if any) under 

11 this section is ongoing, and may only receive pay if the 

12 individual reports for duty. If an individual so demoted 

13 does not report for duty, such individual shall not receive 

14 pay or other benefits pursuant to subsection (e)(5). 

15 ‘‘(c) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days 

16 after removing or demoting an individual under subsection 

17 (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Vet18 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 

19 notice in writing of such removal or demotion and the rea20 son for such removal or demotion. 

21 ‘‘(d) PROCEDURE.—(1) The procedures under section 

22 7513(b) of title 5 and chapter 43 of such title shall not 

23 apply to a removal or demotion under this section. 

24 ‘‘(2)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B) and subsection 

25 (e), any removal or demotion under subsection (a) may be 


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1 appealed to the Merit Systems Protection Board under sec2 tion 7701 of title 5. 

3 ‘‘(B) An appeal under subparagraph (A) of a removal 

4 or demotion may only be made if such appeal is made not 

5 later than seven days after the date of such removal or de6 motion. 

7 ‘‘(e) EXPEDITED REVIEW BY ADMINISTRATIVE

8 JUDGE.—(1) Upon receipt of an appeal under subsection 

9 (d)(2)(A), the Merit Systems Protection Board shall refer 

10 such appeal to an administrative judge pursuant to section 

11 7701(b)(1) of title 5. The administrative judge shall expe12 dite any such appeal under such section and, in any such 

13 case, shall issue a decision not later than 45 days after the 

14 date of the appeal. 

15 ‘‘(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in16 cluding section 7703 of title 5, the decision of an adminis17 trative judge under paragraph (1) shall be final and shall 

18 not be subject to any further appeal. 

19 ‘‘(3) In any case in which the administrative judge 

20 cannot issue a decision in accordance with the 45-day re21 quirement under paragraph (1), the removal or demotion 

22 is final. In such a case, the Merit Systems Protection Board 

23 shall, within 14 days after the date that such removal or 

24 demotion is final, submit to Congress and the Committees 

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1 tives a report that explains the reasons why a decision was 

2 not issued in accordance with such requirement. 

3 ‘‘(4) The Merit Systems Protection Board or adminis4 trative judge may not stay any removal or demotion under 

5 this section. 

6 ‘‘(5) During the period beginning on the date on which 

7 an individual appeals a removal from the civil service 

8 under subsection (d) and ending on the date that the ad9 ministrative judge issues a final decision on such appeal, 

10 such individual may not receive any pay, awards, bonuses, 

11 incentives, allowances, differentials, student loan repay12 ments, special payments, or benefits. 

13 ‘‘(6) To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

14 shall provide to the Merit Systems Protection Board, and 

15 to any administrative judge to whom an appeal under this 

16 section is referred, such information and assistance as may 

17 be necessary to ensure an appeal under this subsection is 

18 expedited. 

19 ‘‘(f) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION.—(1) In the case 

20 of an individual seeking corrective action (or on behalf of 

21 whom corrective action is sought) from the Office of Special 

22 Counsel based on an alleged prohibited personnel practice 

23 described in section 2302(b) of title 5, the Secretary may 

24 not remove or demote such individual under subsection (a) 


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1 without the approval of the Special Counsel under section 

2 1214(f) of title 5. 

3 ‘‘(2) In the case of an individual who has filed a whis4 tleblower complaint, as such term is defined in section 731 

5 of this title, the Secretary may not remove or demote such 

6 individual under subsection (a) until the central whistle7 blower office under section 732(h) of this title has made a 

8 final decision with respect to the whistleblower complaint. 

9 ‘‘(g) TERMINATION OF INVESTIGATIONS BY OFFICE OF

10 SPECIAL COUNSEL.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

11 of law, the Special Counsel (established by section 1211 of 

12 title 5) may terminate an investigation of a prohibited per13 sonnel practice alleged by an employee or former employee 

14 of the Department after the Special Counsel provides to the 

15 employee or former employee a written statement of the rea16 sons for the termination of the investigation. Such state17 ment may not be admissible as evidence in any judicial 

18 or administrative proceeding without the consent of such 

19 employee or former employee. 

20 ‘‘(h) RELATION TO TITLE 5.—The authority provided 

21 by this section is in addition to the authority provided by 

22 subchapter V of chapter 75 of title 5 and chapter 43 of such 

23 title. 

24 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘individual’ means an individual 

2 occupying a position at the Department but does not 

3 include— 

4 ‘‘(A) an individual, as that term is defined 

5 in section 713(g)(1); or 

6 ‘‘(B) a political appointee. 

7 ‘‘(2) The term ‘grade’ has the meaning given 

8 such term in section 7511(a) of title 5. 

9 ‘‘(3) The term ‘misconduct’ includes neglect of 

10 duty, malfeasance, or failure to accept a directed re11 assignment or to accompany a position in a transfer 

12 of function. 

13 ‘‘(4) The term ‘political appointee’ means an in14 dividual who is— 

15 ‘‘(A) employed in a position described 

16 under sections 5312 through 5316 of title 5 (re17 lating to the Executive Schedule); 

18 ‘‘(B) a limited term appointee, limited 

19 emergency appointee, or noncareer appointee in 

20 the Senior Executive Service, as defined under 

21 paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively, of sec22 tion 3132(a) of title 5; or 

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1 ule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5 of the 

2 Code of Federal Regulations.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

4 (1) CLERICAL.—The table of sections at the be5 ginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following new item: 

‘‘715. Employees: removal or demotion based on performance or misconduct.’’. 

7 (2) CONFORMING.—Section 4303(f) of title 5, 

8 United States Code, is amended— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of para10 graph (2); 

11 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

12 paragraph (3) and inserting ‘‘, or’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(4) any removal or demotion under section 715 

15 of title 38.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. REQUIRED PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR NEW EM17 PLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF18 FAIRS. 

19 (a) PROBATIONARY PERIOD.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United 

21 States Code, as amended by section 2, is further 

22 amended by adding at the end the following new sec23 tion: 


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1 ‘‘§ 717. Probationary period for employees 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sections 3321 

3 and 3393(d) of title 5, the appointment of a covered em4 ployee shall become final only after such employee has 

5 served a probationary period of 18 months. The Secretary 

6 may extend a probationary period under this subsection at 

7 the discretion of the Secretary. 

8 ‘‘(b) COVERED EMPLOYEE.—In this section, the term 

9 ‘covered employee’— 

10 ‘‘(1) means any individual— 

11 ‘‘(A) appointed to a permanent position 

12 within the competitive service at the Depart13 ment; or 

14 ‘‘(B) appointed as a career appointee (as 

15 that term is defined in section 3132(a)(4) of title 

16 5) within the Senior Executive Service at the 

17 Department; and 

18 ‘‘(2) does not include any individual with a pro19 bationary period prescribed by section 7403 of this 

20 title. 

21 ‘‘(c) PERMANENT HIRES.—Upon the expiration of a 

22 covered employee’s probationary period under subsection 

23 (a), the supervisor of the employee shall determine whether 

24 the appointment becomes final based on regulations pre25 scribed for such purpose by the Secretary.’’. 

26 (2) CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 


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1 (A) CLERICAL.—The table of sections at the 

2 beginning of such chapter, as amended by section 

3 2, is further amended by adding at the end the 

4 following new item: 

‘‘717. Probationary period for employees.’’. 

5 (B) CONFORMING.—Title 5, United States 

6 Code, is amended— 

7 (i) in section 3321(c)— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘Service or’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘Service,’’; and 

10 (II) by inserting at the end before 

11 the period the following: ‘‘, or any in12 dividual covered by section 717 of title 

13 38’’; and 

14 (ii) in section 3393(d), by adding at 

15 the end after the period the following: ‘‘The 

16 preceding sentence shall not apply to any 

17 individual covered by section 717 of title 

18 38.’’. 

19 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 717 of title 38, United 

20 States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), shall apply to 

21 any covered employee (as that term is defined in subsection 

22 (b) of such section 717, as so added) appointed after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. TREATMENT OF WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINTS IN 

2 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

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

4 Code, is further amended by adding at the end the following 

5 new subchapter: 

6 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—WHISTLEBLOWER 

7 COMPLAINTS 

8 ‘‘§ 731. Whistleblower complaint defined 

9 ‘‘In this subchapter, the term ‘whistleblower complaint’ 

10 means a complaint by an employee of the Department dis11 closing, or assisting another employee to disclose, a poten12 tial violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or gross mis13 management, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or 

14 substantial and specific danger to public health and safety. 

15 ‘‘§ 732. Treatment of whistleblower complaints 

16 ‘‘(a) FILING.—(1) In addition to any other method es17 tablished by law in which an employee may file a whistle18 blower complaint, an employee of the Department may file 

19 a whistleblower complaint in accordance with subsection (g) 

20 with a supervisor of the employee. 

21 ‘‘(2) Except as provided by subsection (d)(1), in mak22 ing a whistleblower complaint under paragraph (1), an em23 ployee shall file the initial complaint with the immediate 

24 supervisor of the employee. 

25 ‘‘(b) NOTIFICATION.—(1) Not later than four business 

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1 blower complaint by an employee under this section, the 

2 supervisor shall notify, in writing, the employee of whether 

3 the supervisor determines that there is a reasonable likeli4 hood that the complaint discloses a violation of any law, 

5 rule, or regulation, or gross mismanagement, gross waste 

6 of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific 

7 danger to public health and safety. The supervisor shall re8 tain written documentation regarding the whistleblower 

9 complaint and shall submit to the next-level supervisor and 

10 the central whistleblower office described in subsection (h) 

11 a written report on the complaint. 

12 ‘‘(2) On a monthly basis, the supervisor shall submit 

13 to the appropriate director or other official who is superior 

14 to the supervisor a written report that includes the number 

15 of whistleblower complaints received by the supervisor 

16 under this section during the month covered by the report, 

17 the disposition of such complaints, and any actions taken 

18 because of such complaints pursuant to subsection (c). In 

19 the case in which such a director or official carries out this 

20 paragraph, the director or official shall submit such month21 ly report to the supervisor of the director or official and 

22 to the central whistleblower office described in subsection 

23 (h). 

24 ‘‘(c) POSITIVE DETERMINATION.—If a supervisor 

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1 garding a whistleblower complaint of an employee, the su2 pervisor shall include in the notification to the employee 

3 under such subsection the specific actions that the super4 visor will take to address the complaint. 

5 ‘‘(d) FILING COMPLAINT WITH NEXT-LEVEL SUPER6 VISORS.—(1) If any circumstance described in paragraph 

7 (3) is met, an employee may file a whistleblower complaint 

8 in accordance with subsection (g) with the next-level super9 visor who shall treat such complaint in accordance with 

10 this section. 

11 ‘‘(2) An employee may file a whistleblower complaint 

12 with the Secretary if the employee has filed the whistle13 blower complaint to each level of supervisors between the 

14 employee and the Secretary in accordance with paragraph 

15 (1). 

16 ‘‘(3) A circumstance described in this paragraph are 

17 any of the following circumstances: 

18 ‘‘(A) A supervisor does not make a timely deter19 mination under subsection (b)(1) regarding a whistle20 blower complaint. 

21 ‘‘(B) The employee who made a whistleblower 

22 complaint determines that the supervisor did not ade23 quately address the complaint pursuant to subsection 

24 (c). 


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1 ‘‘(C) The immediate supervisor of the employee 

2 is the basis of the whistleblower complaint. 

3 ‘‘(e) TRANSFER OF EMPLOYEE WHO FILES WHISTLE4 BLOWER COMPLAINT.—If a supervisor makes a positive de5 termination under subsection (b)(1) regarding a whistle6 blower complaint filed by an employee, the Secretary 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(1) inform the employee of the ability to volun9 teer for a transfer in accordance with section 3352 of 

10 title 5; and 

11 ‘‘(2) give preference to the employee for such a 

12 transfer in accordance with such section. 

13 ‘‘(f) PROHIBITION ON EXEMPTION.—The Secretary 

14 may not exempt any employee of the Department from 

15 being covered by this section. 

16 ‘‘(g) WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT FORM.—(1) A 

17 whistleblower complaint filed by an employee under sub18 section (a) or (d) shall consist of the form described in para19 graph (2) and any supporting materials or documentation 

20 the employee determines necessary. 

21 ‘‘(2) The form described in this paragraph is a form 

22 developed by the Secretary, in consultation with the Special 

23 Counsel, that includes the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) An explanation of the purpose of the whis25 tleblower complaint form. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Instructions for filing a whistleblower com2 plaint as described in this section. 

3 ‘‘(C) An explanation that filing a whistleblower 

4 complaint under this section does not preclude the 

5 employee from any other method established by law in 

6 which an employee may file a whistleblower com7 plaint. 

8 ‘‘(D) A statement directing the employee to in9 formation accessible on the Internet website of the De10 partment as described in section 735(c). 

11 ‘‘(E) Fields for the employee to provide— 

12 ‘‘(i) the date that the form is submitted; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the name of the employee; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the contact information of the em15 ployee; 

16 ‘‘(iv) a summary of the whistleblower com17 plaint (including the option to append sup18 porting documents pursuant to paragraph (1)); 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(v) proposed solutions to complaint. 

21 ‘‘(F) Any other information or fields that the 

22 Secretary determines appropriate. 

23 ‘‘(3) The Secretary, in consultation with the Special 

24 Counsel, shall develop the form described in paragraph (2) 


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1 by not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment 

2 of this section. 

3 ‘‘(h) CENTRAL WHISTLEBLOWER OFFICE.—(1) The 

4 Secretary shall ensure that the central whistleblower of5 fice— 

6 ‘‘(A) is not an element of the Office of the Gen7 eral Counsel; 

8 ‘‘(B) is not headed by an official who reports to 

9 the General Counsel; 

10 ‘‘(C) does not provide, or receive from, the Gen11 eral Counsel any information regarding a whistle12 blower complaint except pursuant to an action re13 garding the complaint before an administrative body 

14 or court; and 

15 ‘‘(D) does not provide advice to the General 

16 Counsel. 

17 ‘‘(2) The central whistleblower office shall be respon18 sible for investigating all whistleblower complaints of the 

19 Department, regardless of whether such complaints are 

20 made by or against an employee who is not a member of 

21 the Senior Executive Service. 

22 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall ensure that the central whis23 tleblower office maintains a toll-free hotline to anonymously 

24 receive whistleblower complaints. 


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1 ‘‘(4) In this subsection, the term ‘central whistleblower 

2 office’ means the Office of Accountability Review or a suc3 cessor office that is established or designated by the Sec4 retary to investigate whistleblower complaints filed under 

5 this section or any other method established by law. 

6 ‘‘§ 733. Adverse actions against supervisory employees 

7 who commit prohibited personnel actions 

8 relating to whistleblower complaints 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) In accordance with paragraph 

10 (2), the Secretary shall carry out the following adverse ac11 tions against supervisory employees whom the Secretary, an 

12 administrative judge, the Merit Systems Protection Board, 

13 the Office of Special Counsel, an adjudicating body pro14 vided under a union contract, a Federal judge, or the In15 spector General of the Department determines committed a 

16 prohibited personnel action described in subsection (c): 

17 ‘‘(A) With respect to the first offense, an adverse 

18 action that is not less than a 14-day suspension and 

19 not more than removal. 

20 ‘‘(B) With respect to the second offense, removal. 

21 ‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), and 

22 notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c) of section 7513 and 

23 section 7543 of title 5, the provisions of subsections (d) and 

24 (e) of section 713 of this title shall apply with respect to 

25 an adverse action carried out under paragraph (1). 


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1 ‘‘(B) An employee who is notified of being the subject 

2 of a proposed adverse action under paragraph (1) may not 

3 be given more than five days following such notification to 

4 provide evidence to dispute such proposed adverse action. 

5 If the employee does not provide any such evidence, or if 

6 the Secretary determines that such evidence is not sufficient 

7 to reverse the determination to propose the adverse action, 

8 the Secretary shall carry out the adverse action following 

9 such five-day period. 

10 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON OTHER ADVERSE ACTIONS.— 

11 With respect to a prohibited personnel action described in 

12 subsection (c), if the Secretary carries out an adverse action 

13 against a supervisory employee, the Secretary may carry 

14 out an additional adverse action under this section based 

15 on the same prohibited personnel action if the total severity 

16 of the adverse actions do not exceed the level specified in 

17 subsection (a). 

18 ‘‘(c) PROHIBITED PERSONNEL ACTION DESCRIBED.— 

19 A prohibited personnel action described in this subsection 

20 is any of the following actions: 

21 ‘‘(1) Taking or failing to take a personnel action 

22 in violation of section 2302 of title 5 against an em23 ployee relating to the employee— 

24 ‘‘(A) filing a whistleblower complaint in ac25 cordance with section 732 of this title; 


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1 ‘‘(B) filing a whistleblower complaint with 

2 the Inspector General of the Department, the 

3 Special Counsel, or Congress; 

4 ‘‘(C) providing information or partici5 pating as a witness in an investigation of a 

6 whistleblower complaint in accordance with sec7 tion 732 or with the Inspector General of the De8 partment, the Special Counsel, or Congress; 

9 ‘‘(D) participating in an audit or inves10 tigation by the Comptroller General of the 

11 United States; 

12 ‘‘(E) refusing to perform an action that is 

13 unlawful or prohibited by the Department; or 

14 ‘‘(F) engaging in communications that are 

15 related to the duties of the position or are other16 wise protected. 

17 ‘‘(2) Preventing or restricting an employee from 

18 making an action described in any of subparagraphs 

19 (A) through (F) of paragraph (1). 

20 ‘‘(3) Conducting a peer review or opening a re21 taliatory investigation relating to an activity of an 

22 employee that is protected by section 2302 of title 5. 

23 ‘‘(4) Requesting a contractor to carry out an ac24 tion that is prohibited by section 4705(b) or section 

25 4712(a)(1) of title 41, as the case may be. 


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1 ‘‘§ 734. Evaluation criteria of supervisors and treat2 ment of bonuses 

3 ‘‘(a) EVALUATION CRITERIA.—(1) In evaluating the 

4 performance of supervisors of the Department, the Secretary 

5 shall include the criteria described in paragraph (2). 

6 ‘‘(2) The criteria described in this subsection are the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(A) Whether the supervisor treats whistleblower 

9 complaints in accordance with section 732. 

10 ‘‘(B) Whether the appropriate deciding official, 

11 performance review board, or performance review 

12 committee determines that the supervisor was found 

13 to have committed a prohibited personnel action de14 scribed in section 733(b) by an administrative judge, 

15 the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Office of 

16 Special Counsel, an adjudicating body provided 

17 under a union contract, a Federal judge, or, in the 

18 case of a settlement of a whistleblower complaint (re19 gardless of whether any fault was assigned under such 

20 settlement), the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(b) BONUSES.—(1) The Secretary may not pay to a 

22 supervisor described in subsection (a)(2)(B) an award or 

23 bonus under this title or title 5, including under chapter 

24 45 or 53 of such title, during the one-year period beginning 

25 on the date on which the determination was made under 

26 such subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 

2 Secretary shall issue an order directing a supervisor de3 scribed in subsection (a)(2)(B) to repay the amount of any 

4 award or bonus paid under this title or title 5, including 

5 under chapter 45 or 53 of such title, if— 

6 ‘‘(A) such award or bonus was paid for perform7 ance during a period in which the supervisor com8 mitted a prohibited personnel action as determined 

9 pursuant to such subsection (a)(2)(B); 

10 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines such repayment 

11 appropriate pursuant to regulations prescribed by the 

12 Secretary to carry out this section; and 

13 ‘‘(C) the supervisor is afforded notice and an op14 portunity for a hearing before making such repay15 ment. 

16 ‘‘§ 735. Training regarding whistleblower complaints 

17 ‘‘(a) TRAINING.—The Secretary, in coordination with 

18 the Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman designated under 

19 section 3(d)(1)(C) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 

20 U.S.C. App.), shall annually provide to each employee of 

21 the Department training regarding whistleblower com22 plaints, including— 

23 ‘‘(1) an explanation of each method established 

24 by law in which an employee may file a whistleblower 

25 complaint; 


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1 ‘‘(2) an explanation of prohibited personnel ac2 tions described by section 733(c) of this title; 

3 ‘‘(3) with respect to supervisors, how to treat 

4 whistleblower complaints in accordance with section 

5 732 of this title; 

6 ‘‘(4) the right of the employee to petition Con7 gress regarding a whistleblower complaint in accord8 ance with section 7211 of title 5; 

9 ‘‘(5) an explanation that the employee may not 

10 be prosecuted or reprised against for disclosing infor11 mation to Congress in instances where such disclosure 

12 is permitted by law, including under sections 5701, 

13 5705, and 7732 of this title, under section 552a of 

14 title 5 (commonly referred to as the Privacy Act), 

15 under chapter 93 of title 18, and pursuant to regula16 tions promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health 

17 Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 

18 (Public Law 104–191); 

19 ‘‘(6) an explanation of the language that is re20 quired to be included in all nondisclosure policies, 

21 forms, and agreements pursuant to section 115(a)(1) 

22 of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 

23 2012 (5 U.S.C. 2302 note); and 


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1 ‘‘(7) the right of contractors to be protected from 

2 reprisal for the disclosure of certain information 

3 under section 4705 or 4712 of title 41. 

4 ‘‘(b) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall annually 

5 provide training on merit system protection in a manner 

6 that the Special Counsel certifies as being satisfactory. 

7 ‘‘(c) PUBLICATION.—(1) The Secretary shall publish 

8 on the Internet website of the Department, and display 

9 prominently at each facility of the Department, the rights 

10 of an employee to file a whistleblower complaint, including 

11 the information described in paragraphs (1) through (7) of 

12 subsection (a). 

13 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall publish on the Internet 

14 website of the Department, the whistleblower complaint 

15 form described in section 732(g)(2). 

16 ‘‘§ 736. Reports to Congress 

17 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Secretary shall annu18 ally submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

19 House of Representatives and the Senate, the Committee on 

20 Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Rep21 resentatives, and the Committee on Homeland Security and 

22 Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that includes— 

23 ‘‘(1) with respect to whistleblower complaints 

24 filed under section 732 during the year covered by the 

25 report— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the number of such complaints filed; 

2 ‘‘(B) the disposition of such complaints; and 

3 ‘‘(C) the ways in which the Secretary ad4 dressed such complaints in which a positive de5 termination was made by a supervisor under 

6 subsection (b)(1) of such section; 

7 ‘‘(2) the number of whistleblower complaints 

8 filed during the year covered by the report that are 

9 not included under paragraph (1), including— 

10 ‘‘(A) the method in which such complaints 

11 were filed; 

12 ‘‘(B) the disposition of such complaints; and 

13 ‘‘(C) the ways in which the Secretary ad14 dressed such complaints; and 

15 ‘‘(3) with respect to disclosures made by a con16 tractor under section 4705 or 4712 of title 41— 

17 ‘‘(A) the number of complaints relating to 

18 such disclosures that were investigated by the In19 spector General of the Department of Veterans 

20 Affairs during the year covered by the report; 

21 ‘‘(B) the disposition of such complaints; and 

22 ‘‘(C) the ways in which the Secretary ad23 dressed such complaints. 

24 ‘‘(b) NOTICE OF OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL DE25 TERMINATIONS.—Not later than 30 days after the date on 


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1 which the Secretary receives from the Special Counsel infor2 mation relating to a whistleblower complaint pursuant to 

3 section 1213 of title 5, the Secretary shall notify the Com4 mittees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

5 and the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and Govern6 ment Reform of the House of Representatives, and the Com7 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 

8 the Senate of such information, including the determination 

9 made by the Special Counsel.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (1) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Such chapter is 

12 further amended by inserting before section 701 the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL EMPLOYEE 

15 MATTERS’’. 

16 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of sec17 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended— 

18 (A) by inserting before the item relating to 

19 section 701 the following new item: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL EMPLOYEE MATTERS’’; 

20 and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

22 items: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINTS

‘‘731. Whistleblower complaint defined. 

‘‘732. Treatment of whistleblower complaints. 

‘‘733. Adverse actions against supervisory employees who commit prohibited personnel actions relating to whistleblower complaints. 


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‘‘734. Evaluation criteria of supervisors and treatment of bonuses. 

‘‘735. Training regarding whistleblower complaints. 

‘‘736. Reports to Congress.’’. 

1 SEC. 5. REFORM OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM 

2 FOR SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE EMPLOY3 EES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF4 FAIRS. 

5 (a) PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United 

7 States Code, is further amended by inserting after sec8 tion 717, as added by section 3, the following new sec9 tion: 

10 ‘‘§ 719. Senior executives: performance appraisal 

11 ‘‘(a) PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM.—(1) The 

12 performance appraisal system for individuals employed in 

13 senior executive positions in the Department required by 

14 section 4312 of title 5 shall provide, in addition to the re15 quirements of such section, for five annual summary rat16 ings of levels of performance as follows: 

17 ‘‘(A) One outstanding level. 

18 ‘‘(B) One exceeds fully successful level. 

19 ‘‘(C) One fully successful level. 

20 ‘‘(D) One minimally satisfactory level. 

21 ‘‘(E) One unsatisfactory level. 

22 ‘‘(2) The following limitations apply to the rating of 

23 the performance of such individuals: 


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1 ‘‘(A) For any year, not more than 10 percent of 

2 such individuals who receive a performance rating 

3 during that year may receive the outstanding level 

4 under paragraph (1)(A). 

5 ‘‘(B) For any year, not more than 20 percent of 

6 such individuals who receive a performance rating 

7 during that year may receive the exceeds fully success8 ful level under paragraph (1)(B). 

9 ‘‘(3) In evaluating the performance of an individual 

10 under the performance appraisal system, the Secretary shall 

11 take into consideration— 

12 ‘‘(A) any complaint or report (including any 

13 pending or published report) submitted by the Inspec14 tor General of the Department, the Comptroller Gen15 eral of the United States, the Equal Employment Op16 portunity Commission, or any other appropriate per17 son or entity, related to any facility or program man18 aged by the individual, as determined by the Sec19 retary; 

20 ‘‘(B) efforts made by the individual to maintain 

21 high levels of satisfaction and commitment among the 

22 employees supervised by the individual; and 

23 ‘‘(C) the criteria described in section 734(a)(2) of 

24 this title. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CHANGE OF POSITION.—(1) At least once every 

2 five years, the Secretary shall reassign each individual em3 ployed in a senior executive position to a position at a dif4 ferent location that does not include the supervision of the 

5 same personnel or programs. The Secretary shall make such 

6 reassignments on a rolling basis based on the date on which 

7 an individual was originally assigned to a position. 

8 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may waive the requirement under 

9 paragraph (1) for any such individual, if the Secretary sub10 mits to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 

11 and House of Representatives notice of the waiver and an 

12 explanation of the reasons for the waiver. 

13 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than March 1 of each year, 

14 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ 

15 Affairs and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

16 of the Senate and the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and 

17 Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Rep18 resentatives a report on the performance appraisal system 

19 of the Department under subsection (a). Each such report 

20 shall include, for the year preceding the year during which 

21 the report is submitted, each of the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) All documentation concerning each of the 

23 following for each individual employed in a senior ex24 ecutive position in the Department: 

25 ‘‘(A) The initial performance appraisal. 


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1 ‘‘(B) The higher level review, if requested. 

2 ‘‘(C) The recommendations of the perform3 ance review board. 

4 ‘‘(D) The final summary review. 

5 ‘‘(E) The number of initial performance 

6 ratings raised as a result of the recommendations 

7 of the performance review board. 

8 ‘‘(F) The number of initial performance 

9 ratings lowered as a result of the recommenda10 tions of the performance review board. 

11 ‘‘(G) Any adverse action taken against any 

12 such individual who receives a performance rat13 ing of less than fully successful. 

14 ‘‘(2) The review of the Inspector General of the 

15 Department of the information described in subpara16 graphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1). 

17 ‘‘(3) A summary of the documentation provided 

18 under paragraph (1). 

19 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION OF SENIOR EXECUTIVE POSITION.— 

20 In this section, the term ‘senior executive position’ has the 

21 meaning given that term in section 713(g)(3) of this title.’’. 

22 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec23 tions at the beginning of such chapter, as amended by 

24 section 3, is further amended by inserting after the 

25 item relating to section 717 the following new item: 

‘‘719. Senior executives: performance appraisal.’’. 


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1 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 4312(b) 

2 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 

3 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

4 the end; 

5 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period 

6 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) that, in the case of the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs, the performance appraisal system meets 

10 the requirements of section 719 of title 38.’’. 

11 (b) REVIEW OF SES MANAGEMENT TRAINING.— 

12 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet14 erans Affairs shall enter into a contract with a non15 governmental entity to review the management train16 ing program for individuals employed in senior exec17 utive positions (as such term is defined in section 

18 713(g)(3) of title 38, United States Code) of the De19 partment of Veterans Affairs that is being provided as 

20 of the date of the enactment of this Act. Such review 

21 shall include a comparison of the training provided 

22 by the Department of Veterans Affairs to the manage23 ment training provided for senior executives of other 

24 Federal departments and agencies and to the manage25 ment training provided to senior executives in the 


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1 private sector. The contract shall provide that the 

2 nongovernmental entity must complete and submit to 

3 the Secretary a report containing the findings and 

4 conclusions of the review by not later than 180 days 

5 after the date on which the Secretary and the non6 governmental entity enter into the contract. 

7 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 

8 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the 

9 report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall sub10 mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen11 ate and House of Representatives the report together 

12 with a plan for carrying out the recommendations 

13 contained in the report. 

14 SEC. 6. REDUCTION OF BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 

15 SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE WITHIN THE DE16 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CON17 VICTED OF CERTAIN CRIMES. 

18 (a) REDUCTION OF BENEFITS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United 

20 States Code, is further amended by inserting after sec21 tion 719, as added by section 5, the following new sec22 tion: 


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1 ‘‘§ 721. Senior executives: reduction of benefits of indi2 viduals convicted of certain crimes 

3 ‘‘(a) REDUCTION OF ANNUITY FOR REMOVED EM4 PLOYEE.—The Secretary shall order that the covered service 

5 of an individual removed from a senior executive position 

6 under section 713 of this title shall not be taken into ac7 count for purposes of calculating an annuity with respect 

8 to such individual under chapter 83 or chapter 84 of title 

9 5, if— 

10 ‘‘(1) the individual is convicted of a felony that 

11 influenced the individual’s performance while em12 ployed in the senior executive position; and 

13 ‘‘(2) before such order is made, the individual is 

14 afforded notice and an opportunity for a hearing con15 ducted by another department or agency of the Fed16 eral Government. 

17 ‘‘(b) REDUCTION OF ANNUITY FOR RETIRED EM18 PLOYEE.—(1) The Secretary may order that the covered 

19 service of an individual who is subject to a removal or 

20 transfer action under section 713 of this title but who leaves 

21 employment at the Department prior to the issuance of a 

22 final decision with respect to such action shall not be taken 

23 into account for purposes of calculating an annuity with 

24 respect to such individual under chapter 83 or chapter 84 

25 of title 5, if— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the individual is convicted of a felony that 

2 influenced the individual’s performance while em3 ployed in the senior executive position; and 

4 ‘‘(B) before such order is made, the individual is 

5 afforded notice and an opportunity for a hearing con6 ducted by another department or agency of the Fed7 eral Government. 

8 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall make such an order not later 

9 than seven days after the date of the conclusion of a hearing 

10 referred to in paragraph (1)(B) that determines that such 

11 order is lawful. 

12 ‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS.—(1) Not later 

13 than 30 days after the Secretary issues an order under sub14 section (a) or (b), the Director of the Office of Personnel 

15 Management shall recalculate the annuity of the individual. 

16 ‘‘(2) A decision regarding whether the covered service 

17 of an individual shall be taken into account for purposes 

18 of calculating an annuity under subsection (a) or (b) is 

19 final and may not be reviewed by any department or agen20 cy or any court. 

21 ‘‘(d) LUMP-SUM ANNUITY CREDIT.—Any individual 

22 with respect to whom an annuity is reduced under sub23 section (a) or (b) shall be entitled to be paid so much of 

24 such individual’s lump-sum credit as is attributable to the 

25 period of covered service. 


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1 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered service’ means, with re3 spect to an individual subject to a removal or transfer 

4 action under section 713 of this title, the period of 

5 service beginning on the date that the Secretary deter6 mines under such section that such individual en7 gaged in activity that gave rise to such action and 

8 ending on the date that such individual is removed 

9 from the civil service or leaves employment at the De10 partment prior to the issuance of a final decision 

11 with respect to such action, as the case may be. 

12 ‘‘(2) The term ‘lump-sum credit’ has the mean13 ing given such term in section 8331(8) or section 

14 8401(19) of title 5, as the case may be. 

15 ‘‘(3) The term ‘senior executive position’ has the 

16 meaning given such term in section 713(g)(3) of this 

17 title. 

18 ‘‘(4) The term ‘service’ has the meaning given 

19 such term in section 8331(12) or section 8401(26) of 

20 title 5, as the case may be.’’. 

21 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec22 tions at the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is 

23 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec24 tion 719, as added by section 5, the following new 

25 item: 


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‘‘721. Senior executives: reduction of benefits of individuals convicted of certain 

crimes.’’. 

1 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 721 of title 38, United 

2 States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), shall apply to 

3 any action of removal or transfer under section 713 of title 

4 38, United States Code, commencing on or after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act. 

6 SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE FOR EM7 PLOYEES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF8 FAIRS. 

9 (a) LIMITATION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United 

11 States Code, is further amended by inserting after sec12 tion 721, as added by section 6, the following new sec13 tion: 

14 ‘‘§ 723. Limitation on administrative leave 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

16 (b), the Secretary may not place any covered individual 

17 on administrative leave, or any other type of paid non-duty 

18 status without charge to leave, for more than a total of 14 

19 days during any 365-day period. 

20 ‘‘(b) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the limita21 tion under subsection (a) and extend the administrative 

22 leave or other paid non-duty status without charge to leave 

23 of a covered individual placed on such leave or status under 

24 subsection (a) if the Secretary submits to the Committees 


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1 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa2 tives a detailed explanation of the reasons the individual 

3 was placed on administrative leave or other paid non-duty 

4 status without charge to leave and the reasons for the exten5 sion of such leave or status. Such explanation shall include 

6 the name of the covered individual, the location where the 

7 individual is employed, and the individual’s job title. 

8 ‘‘(c) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—In this subsection, the 

9 term ‘covered individual’ means an employee of the Depart10 ment— 

11 ‘‘(1) who is subject to an investigation for pur12 poses of determining whether such individual should 

13 be subject to any disciplinary action under this title 

14 or title 5; or 

15 ‘‘(2) against whom any disciplinary action is 

16 proposed or initiated under this title or title 5.’’. 

17 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec18 tions at the beginning of such chapter, as amended by 

19 section 6, is further amended by inserting after the 

20 item relating to section 721 the following new item: 

‘‘723. Limitation on administrative leave.’’. 

21 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 723 of title 38, United 

22 States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), shall apply with 

23 respect to any 365-day period beginning on or after the date 

24 of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 8. TREATMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY BY 

2 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EM3 PLOYEES AS OFFICIAL DUTY. 

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

5 Code, is further amended by inserting after section 723, as 

6 added by section 7, the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 725. Congressional testimony by employees: treat8 ment as official duty 

9 ‘‘(a) CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.—An employee of 

10 the Department is performing official duty during the pe11 riod with respect to which the employee is testifying in an 

12 official capacity in front of either House of Congress, a com13 mittee of either House of Congress, or a joint or select com14 mittee of Congress. 

15 ‘‘(b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The Secretary shall provide 

16 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 

17 in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter 

18 I of chapter 57 of title 5, to any employee of the Department 

19 of Veterans Affairs performing official duty described under 

20 subsection (a).’’. 

21 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

22 the beginning of such chapter is further amended by insert23 ing after the item relating to section 723, as added by sec24 tion 7, the following new item: 

‘‘725. Congressional testimony by employees: treatment as official duty.’’. 


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1 SEC. 9. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO 

2 EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

3 AFFAIRS. 

4 Section 705 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Ac5 countability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 

6 703 note) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 705. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO 

8 EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

9 AFFAIRS. 

10 ‘‘The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that 

11 the aggregate amount of awards and bonuses paid by the 

12 Secretary in a fiscal year under chapter 45 or 53 of title 

13 5, United States Code, or any other awards or bonuses au14 thorized under such title or title 38, United States Code, 

15 does not exceed the following amounts: 

16 ‘‘(1) With respect to each of fiscal years 2015 

17 through 2018, $300,000,000. 

18 ‘‘(2) With respect to each of fiscal years 2019 

19 through 2024, $360,000,000.’’. 

20 SEC. 10. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY OF DEPARTMENT 

21 TIME AND SPACE USED FOR LABOR ORGANI22 ZATION ACTIVITY. 

23 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen25 eral of the United States shall conduct a study on the 

26 amount of time spent by Department of Veterans Affairs 


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1 employees carrying out organizing activities relating to 

2 labor organizations and the amount of space in Department 

3 facilities used for such activities. The study shall include 

4 a cost-benefit analysis of the use of such time and space 

5 for such activities. 

6 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 

7 after the completion of the study required under subsection 

8 (a), the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees 

9 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa10 tives a report on the results of the study. 


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Union Calendar No. 170 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1994 

[Report No. 114–225, Part I] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide 

formance or misconduct, and for other purposes. Department of Veterans Affairs based on perfor the removal or demotion of employees of the 

JULY 23, 2015 

Reported from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs with 

J

an amendment 

ULY 23, 2015 

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

printed House on the State of the Union and ordered to be discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 


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