I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1125 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 
on physical security at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, 
to direct the Secretary to make certain improvements relating to inspec-
tions of Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and improving 
care for women, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2019 
Mr. KILMER (for himself, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. 
PETERS, Mrs. MURPHY, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. MOULTON, 
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, and Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
a pilot program on physical security at Department of 
Veterans Affairs medical facilities, to direct the Secretary 
to make certain improvements relating to inspections 
of Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and 
improving care for women, 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 ‘‘Accountability for 
Quality VA Healthcare Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL SECURITY AT DE-
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL 
FACILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to en-
hance the physical security of Department of Veterans Af-
fairs medical facilities. At the medical facilities selected 
for the pilot program, the Secretary shall— 
(1) ensure that alarm systems effectively notify 
relevant staff in the police command and control 
centers and the unit nursing stations of the facility; 
and 
(2) require relevant medical center stakeholders 
to coordinate and consult on— 
(A) plans for new and renovated units; and 
(B) any changes to physical security fea-
tures, including closed-circuit television cam-
eras. 
(b) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall select five med-
ical facilities of the Department to participate in the pilot 
program. 
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(c) TERMINATION.—The pilot program shall termi-
nate on the date that is two years after the date on which 
the pilot program commences. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the termi-
nation of the pilot program under subsection (c), the Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot pro-
gram. 
SEC. 3. REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITY ALIGNMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the 
findings and recommendations of the report of the Govern-
ment Accountability Office entitled ‘‘VA Real Property: 
VA Should Improve Its Efforts to Align Facilities with 
Veterans’ Needs’’. The report submitted by the Secretary 
shall include the plan of the Secretary, including a time 
frame for completion, to specifically address the following 
recommendations: 
(1) To address identified limitations to the stra-
tegic capital investment planning process, including 
limitations to scoring and approval and access to in-
formation. 
(2) To assess the value of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs Integrated Planning facility master 
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plans as a facility-planning tool, and based on con-
clusions contained in the Government Accountability 
Office report, either discontinue the development of 
such master plans or address the limitations of such 
master plans. 
(3) To develop and distribute guidance for Vet-
erans Integrated Service Networks and facilities 
using best practices on how to effectively commu-
nicate with stakeholders about alignment change. 
(4) To develop and implement a mechanism to 
evaluate Veterans Integrated Service Network and 
facility communication efforts with stakeholders to 
ensure that such communication efforts are working 
as intended and align with guidance and best prac-
tices. 
(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Upon submittal of the 
report under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make the 
report publicly available on an internet website of the De-
partment. 
SEC. 4. UPDATE OF HANDBOOK TO IMPROVE LEASING 
PROJECTS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and not less than once every five-year 
period thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
update the handbook of the Department of Veterans Af-
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