‘‘(1) The aggregate period for notice, response, 
and final decision by the Secretary of an action 
under this section may not exceed 15 business days. 
‘‘(2) The period for the response of a covered 
individual to a notice under subsection (a)(2)(A) 
shall be 7 business days. 
‘‘(3) The final decision by the Secretary under 
subsection (a)(1)(B) shall— 
‘‘(A) be issued not later than 15 business 
days after notice is provided under subsection 
(a)(2)(A); and 
‘‘(B) be in writing and shall include the 
specific reasons for the decision.’’. 
SEC. 3. ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR VA EMPLOYEE FRAUD 
AND MISCONDUCT; WHISTLEBLOWER PRO-
TECTIONS AND INCENTIVES. 
(a) ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR FRAUD AND MIS-
CONDUCT.— 
(1) PUBLIC MONEY, PROPERTY, OR RECORDS.— 
Section 641 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘If the 
offense under this section is committed by an em-
ployee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, acting 
in an official capacity or using access to veterans’ 
records or benefits systems, the term of imprison-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:18 Jan 29, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5932.IH
H5932
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
ment shall be not more than 15 years, and any fine 
imposed shall be not more than $500,000. The court 
shall order mandatory restitution to the Department 
of Veterans Affairs or the United States Treasury 
for any loss sustained.’’. 
(2) FALSE STATEMENTS.—Section 1001 of title 
18, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following: ‘‘If the offense involves the 
falsification or concealment of material facts related 
to a claim for veterans’ benefits or the performance 
of duties by a Department of Veterans Affairs em-
ployee, the term of imprisonment shall be not more 
than 10 years, and any fine imposed shall be not 
more than $250,000.’’. 
(3) BRIBERY OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND WIT-
NESSES.—Section 201 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘If the public official is employed by the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, and the bribe or gra-
tuity relates to the processing or awarding of vet-
erans’ benefits or contracts, the maximum fine shall 
be twice the amount of the bribe or thing of value 
received, and the term of imprisonment shall be not 
more than 20 years.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:18 Jan 29, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5932.IH
H5932
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(4) FALSE STATEMENTS OR FRAUD TO OBTAIN 
FEDERAL
EMPLOYEES’ 
COMPENSATION.—Section 
1920 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: ‘‘If a person con-
victed under this section is an employee of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs and the fraudulent 
conduct relates to veterans’ disability, compensation, 
or employment benefits, such person shall be fined 
not more than $250,000, imprisoned not more than 
10 years, and shall forfeit any Federal pension or 
annuity benefits pursuant to section 8312 of title 
5.’’. 
(5) FORFEITURE OF FEDERAL PENSION AND 
ANNUITY
BENEFITS.—Section 8312 of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) An individual convicted of an offense under sec-
tion 641, 1001, 201, or 1920 of title 18, United States 
Code, as amended by the Claims Legitimacy and Evalua-
tion Accountability Nationwide for VA Act, if such indi-
vidual is an employee of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs and the offense relates to their duties, shall forfeit 
any entitlement to annuity or retired pay under this chap-
ter or chapter 84 of this title.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:18 Jan 29, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5932.IH
H5932
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(b) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS
AND INCEN-
TIVES.— 
(1) 
EXPEDITED
RETALIATION
INVESTIGA-
TIONS.—Section 2303 of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(e) In the case of a retaliation claim involving an 
employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Of-
fice of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection shall 
complete investigations within 60 days of filing. The Office 
shall provide written justification to Congress for any 
delay beyond 60 days and shall ensure interim protections 
against reassignment or adverse personnel actions while 
claims are pending.’’. 
(2) TRANSPARENCY AND OVERSIGHT OF SET-
TLEMENTS.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
report annually to the Inspector General of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs and the Committees on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives on the number of whistleblower retalia-
tion claims filed, investigated, and settled; the total 
settlement amounts; and whether settlement obliga-
tions were fulfilled. The Secretary shall publish an 
anonymized summary of this report on the Depart-
ment’s website. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:18 Jan 29, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5932.IH
H5932
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(3) INCENTIVE
AWARDS
FOR
VALID
DISCLO-
SURES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is au-
thorized to provide monetary awards up to $10,000 
for substantiated internal disclosures that prevent or 
uncover significant fraud, waste, or abuse valued 
over $100,000. Such awards shall be funded from 
recovered amounts when practicable and shall not be 
considered compensation for pension or benefit pur-
poses. 
(4) INDEPENDENT REVIEW AND REPORTING.— 
The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
review the implementation of the provisions of this 
subsection within 2 years of the date of enactment 
of this Act and submit a report to Congress on the 
timeliness of investigations, settlement compliance, 
and effectiveness of incentive provisions. 
SEC. 4. REVIEW OF THE VA DISABILITY RATING SCHEDULE. 
(a) COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW.—The Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall conduct a comprehensive review of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs schedule for rating 
disabilities to— 
(1) identify vulnerabilities to fraudulent, exag-
gerated, or duplicative claims; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:18 Jan 29, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5932.IH
H5932
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS