Title: Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill extends the policy entitling new federal employees who are veterans with a service-connected disability to a specified amount of leave for medical treatment for such disability to all Veterans Health Administration physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 899 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 899

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the requirements 
  that new Federal employees who are veterans with service-connected 
  disabilities are provided leave for purposes of undergoing medical 
   treatment for such disabilities apply to certain employees of the 
        Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 7, 2017

  Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Tester) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the requirements 
  that new Federal employees who are veterans with service-connected 
  disabilities are provided leave for purposes of undergoing medical 
   treatment for such disabilities apply to certain employees of the 
        Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. APPLICATION OF FEDERAL LEAVE POLICY FOR DISABLED VETERANS TO 
              EMPLOYEES OF VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND 
              RESTATEMENT OF EXISTING LEAVE TRANSFER PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 74 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 7423 the following 
new section:
``Sec. 7423A. Personnel administration: leave
    ``(a) Leave Transfer Program.--(1) The Secretary shall establish a 
leave transfer program for the benefit of health-care professionals in 
positions listed in section 7401(1) of this title. The Secretary may 
also establish a leave bank program for the benefit of such health-care 
professionals.
    ``(2) To the maximum extent feasible--
            ``(A) the leave transfer program shall provide the same or 
        similar requirements and conditions as are provided for the 
        program established by the Director of the Office of Personnel 
        Management under subchapter III of chapter 63 of title 5; and
            ``(B) any leave bank program established pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall be consistent with the requirements and 
        conditions provided for agency leave bank programs in 
        subchapter IV of such chapter.
    ``(3) Participation by a health-care professional in the leave 
transfer program established pursuant to paragraph (1), and in any 
leave bank program established pursuant to such paragraph, shall be 
voluntary. The Secretary may not require any health-care professional 
to participate in such a program.
    ``(4)(A) The Secretary and the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management may enter into an agreement that permits health-care 
professionals referred to in paragraph (1) to participate in the leave 
transfer program established by the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management under subchapter III of chapter 63 of title 5 or in any 
leave bank program established for other employees of the Department 
pursuant to subchapter IV of chapter 63 of title 5, or both.
    ``(B) Participation of such health-care professionals in a leave 
transfer program or a leave bank program pursuant to an agreement 
entered into under subparagraph (A) shall be subject to such 
requirements and conditions as may be prescribed in such agreement.
    ``(5) The Secretary is not required to establish a leave transfer 
program for any personnel permitted to participate in a leave transfer 
program pursuant to an agreement referred to in paragraph (4).
    ``(b) Application of Federal Leave Policy for Disabled Veterans.--
Section 6329 of title 5 shall apply to all health-care professionals in 
positions listed in section 7401(1) of this title.''.
    (b) Repeal of Transferred Authority.--Section 7423 of such title is 
amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (e); and
            (2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (e).
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 74 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 7423 the following new item:

``7423A. Personnel administration: leave.''.
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