I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8017 
To make certain improvements to the workforce of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 9, 2022 
Mr. PAPPAS (for himself and Mr. CLINE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to 
the Committees on Ways and Means, and Oversight and 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To make certain improvements to the workforce of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘VA Workforce Investment and Expansion Act of 2022’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Matters relating to amendments to title 38, United States Code. 
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Sec. 3. National rural recruitment and hiring plan for Veterans Health Admin-
istration. 
Sec. 4. Authority to buy out service contracts for certain health care profes-
sionals in exchange for employment at rural or highly rural fa-
cilities of Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Sec. 5. Qualifications for human resources positions within Department of Vet-
erans Affairs and plan to recruit and retain human resources 
employees. 
Sec. 6. Modification of pay cap for certain employees of Veterans Health Ad-
ministration. 
Sec. 7. Expansion of opportunities for housekeeping aides. 
Sec. 8. Modification of authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating 
to hours, conditions of employment, and pay for certain em-
ployees of Veterans Health Administration. 
Sec. 9. Waiver of pay limitation for certain employees of Department of Vet-
erans Affairs. 
Sec. 10. Elimination of limitation on awards and bonus for employees of De-
partment of Veterans Affairs. 
Sec. 11. Additional authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to 
recruitment and retention of personnel. 
Sec. 12. Prescription of medication by health care providers of Department of 
Veterans Affairs via telemedicine. 
SEC. 2. MATTERS RELATING TO AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 38, 
UNITED STATES CODE. 
(a) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly 
provided, when in this Act an amendment or repeal is ex-
pressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a sec-
tion or other provision, the reference shall be considered 
to be made to a section or other provision of title 38, 
United States Code. 
(b) AMENDMENTS TO TABLES OF CONTENTS.—Ex-
cept as otherwise expressly provided, when an amendment 
made by this Act to title 38, United States Code, adds 
a section or larger organizational unit to that title or 
amends the designation or heading of a section or larger 
organizational unit in that title, that amendment also shall 
have the effect of amending any table of sections in that 
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title to alter the table to conform to the changes made 
by the amendment. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL RURAL RECRUITMENT AND HIRING 
PLAN FOR VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRA-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the directors of 
each community-based outpatient clinic and medical cen-
ter of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall develop 
and implement a national rural recruitment and hiring 
plan for the Veterans Health Administration to— 
(1) recruit health care professionals for rural 
and highly rural community-based outpatient clinics 
and rural and highly rural medical centers of the 
Department; 
(2) determine which such clinics or centers have 
a staffing shortage of health care professionals; 
(3) develop best practices and techniques for re-
cruiting health care professionals for such clinics 
and centers; 
(4) not less frequently than annually, provide 
virtually based, on-demand training to human re-
sources professionals of the Veterans Health Admin-
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istration on the best practices and techniques devel-
oped under paragraph (3); and 
(5) provide recruitment resources, such as pam-
phlets and marketing material to— 
(A) Veterans Integrated Service Networks 
of the Department; 
(B) rural and highly rural community- 
based outpatient clinics of the Department; and 
(C) rural and highly rural medical centers 
of the Department. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
that includes— 
(1) the plan developed and implemented under 
subsection (a); and 
(2) an assessment of the outcomes related to 
recruitment and retention of employees of the Vet-
erans Health Administration at rural and highly 
rural facilities of the Department. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘rural’’ 
and ‘‘highly rural’’ have the meanings given those terms 
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under the rural-urban commuting areas coding system of 
the Department of Agriculture. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORITY TO BUY OUT SERVICE CONTRACTS FOR 
CERTAIN HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN 
EXCHANGE FOR EMPLOYMENT AT RURAL OR 
HIGHLY RURAL FACILITIES OF DEPARTMENT 
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For any covered health care pro-
fessional to whom the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has 
offered employment with the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, the Secretary may buy out the non-Department serv-
ice contract of such individual in exchange for such indi-
vidual agreeing to be employed at a rural or highly rural 
facility of the Department for a period of obligated service 
specified in subsection (c). 
(b) PAYMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Payment of any amounts for 
a buy out of a service contract for a covered health 
care professional under subsection (a) shall be made 
directly to the individual or entity with respect to 
which the covered health care professional has a 
service obligation under such contract. 
(2) LIMITATION ON TOTAL AMOUNT.—The total 
amount paid by the Department under this section 
shall not exceed $40,000,000 per fiscal year. 
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