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 Af-
fairs 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Scheduling Ac-
countability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE WITH SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) ANNUAL CERTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall ensure that the director of each medical 
facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs annu-
ally certifies to the Secretary that the medical facil-
ity is in full compliance with all provisions of law 
and regulations relating to scheduling appointments 
for veterans to receive hospital care and medical 
services, including pursuant to Veterans Health Ad-
ministration Directive 2010–027, or any successor 
directive. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON WAIVER.—The Secretary 
may not waive any provision of the laws or regula-
tions described in paragraph (1) for a medical facil-
ity of the Department if such provision otherwise ap-
plies to the medical facility. 
(b) EXPLANATION OF NONCOMPLIANCE.—If a direc-
tor of a medical facility of the Department does not make 
a certification under subsection (a)(1) for any year, the 
director shall submit to the Secretary a report con-
taining— 
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(1) an explanation of why the director is unable 
to make such certification; and 
(2) a description of the actions the director is 
taking to ensure full compliance with the laws and 
regulations described in such subsection. 
(c) PROHIBITION
ON BONUSES BASED
ON NON-
COMPLIANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If a director of a medical fa-
cility of the Department does not make a certifi-
cation under subsection (a)(1) for any year, each 
covered official described in paragraph (2) may not 
receive an award or bonus under chapter 45 or 53 
of title 5, United States Code, or any other award 
or bonus authorized under such title or title 38, 
United States Code, during the year following the 
year in which the certification was not made. 
(2) COVERED OFFICIAL.—A covered official de-
scribed in this paragraph is each official who serves 
in the following positions at a medical facility of the 
Department during a year, or portion thereof, for 
which the director does not make a certification 
under subsection (a)(1): 
(A) The director. 
(B) The chief of staff. 
(C) The associate director. 
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(D) The associate director for patient care. 
(E) The deputy chief of staff. 
(d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually 
submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representative and the Senate a report con-
taining, with respect to the year covered by the report— 
(1) a list of each medical facility of the Depart-
ment for which a certification was made under sub-
section (a)(1); and 
(2) a list of each medical facility of the Depart-
ment for which such a certification was not made, 
including a copy of each report submitted to the 
Secretary under subsection (b). 
SEC. 3. STANDARDIZED APPLICATION OF DIRECTIVES AND 
POLICIES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall ensure that the directives and policies of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs apply to, and are implemented 
by, each office or facility of the Department in a standard-
ized manner, including such offices and facilities at the 
local level. 
(b) NOTIFICATION.—If the Secretary does not apply 
and implement the directives and policies of the Depart-
ment in a standardized manner pursuant to subsection 
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(a), including by waiving such a directive or policy with 
respect to an office or facility of the Department, the Sec-
retary shall notify the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate of such 
nonstandardized application or implementation, including 
an explanation for the nonstandardized application or im-
plementation, as the case may be. 
Passed the House of Representatives May 24, 2017. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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