Title: Veterans' Health Care Integrity Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans' Health Care Integrity Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that the director of each VA medical facility annually certifies that: (1) the facility is in full compliance with all provisions of law and regulations relating to scheduling appointments for veterans hospital care and medical services, and (2) any official data on appointment wait times is accurate.
The VA may not waive any applicable provision of such laws or regulations.
If unable to make such certification, a director shall provide the VA with an explanation of any noncompliance and a description of compliance actions being taken. If a director does not make a certification for any year, each covered official may not receive specified awards or bonuses during the subsequent year. "Covered officials" are a facility's director, chief of staff, associate director, associate director for patient care, and deputy chief of staff.
The VA shall ensure that its directives and policies apply to, and are implemented by, each VA office or facility in a uniform manner.
The following VA positions shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate: (1) Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management, (2) Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services, (3) Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, (4) Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance, and (5) Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1163 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1163

 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure compliance of 
     medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs with 
  requirements relating to the scheduling of appointments, to require 
appointment by the President and confirmation by the Senate of certain 
    health care officials of the Department, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2017

   Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. 
    Cotton) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure compliance of 
     medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs with 
  requirements relating to the scheduling of appointments, to require 
appointment by the President and confirmation by the Senate of certain 
    health care officials of the Department, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Health Care Integrity Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE OF MEDICAL FACILITIES WITH REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO 
              SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS FOR HOSPITAL CARE AND MEDICAL 
              SERVICES.

    (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 annually certifies to the 
        Secretary that--
                    (A) the medical facility is in full compliance with 
                all regulations and other provisions of law relating to 
                scheduling appointments for veterans to receive 
                hospital care or medical services, including Veterans 
                Health Administration Directive 1230 or any successor 
                directive; and
                    (B) any official data on wait times for 
                appointments to receive hospital care or medical 
                services submitted by the director to the Secretary 
                during the year preceding the submittal of the 
                certification is true and accurate to the best of the 
                director's knowledge.
            (2) Prohibition on waiver.--The Secretary may not waive any 
        regulation or other provision of law described in paragraph (1) 
        for a medical facility of the Department if such regulation or 
        other provision of law otherwise applies to the medical 
        facility.
    (b) Explanation of Noncompliance.--If a director 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 containing--
            (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 regulations and other 
        provisions of law described in such subsection.
    (c) Prohibition on Bonuses Based on Noncompliance.--
            (1) In general.--If a director of a medical facility of the 
        Department does not make a certification under subsection 
        (a)(1) for any year, no covered official described in paragraph 
        (2) may 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 described.--A covered official 
        described 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.
                    (D) The associate director for patient care.
                    (E) The deputy chief of staff.
    (d) Annual Report.--Not less frequently than annually, 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 containing, with respect to the year covered 
by the report--
            (1) a list of each medical facility of the Department for 
        which a certification was made under subsection (a)(1); and
            (2) a list of each medical facility of the Department for 
        which such a certification was not made, including a copy of 
        each report submitted to the Secretary under subsection (b).

SEC. 3. UNIFORM APPLICATION OF DIRECTIVES AND POLICIES OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall apply the 
directives and policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs to each 
office or facility of the Department in a uniform manner.
    (b) Notification.--If the Secretary does not uniformly apply the 
directives and policies of the Department pursuant to subsection (a), 
including by waiving such a directive or policy with respect to an 
office, facility, or element of the Department, the Secretary shall 
notify the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives of such 
nonuniform application, including an explanation for the nonuniform 
application.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT FOR APPOINTMENT AND CONFIRMATION OF CERTAIN 
              OFFICIALS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health.--Subsection (c) of 
section 7306 of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), appointments under 
subsection (a) shall be made by the Secretary.
    ``(2) Appointments under subsection (a)(1) shall be made by the 
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
    ``(3) In the case of appointments under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), 
(4), and (8) of subsection (a), such appointments shall be made upon 
the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health.''.
    (b) Other Deputy Under Secretary Positions.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and 
        Management of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Deputy 
        Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services of the 
        Department, the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits 
        of the Department, the Deputy Under Secretary for Disability 
        Assistance of the Department, and the Deputy Under Secretary 
        for Field Operations of the Department shall be appointed by 
        the President, by and with the advice and consent of the 
        Senate.
            (2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
        be construed to authorize the establishment of any new position 
        within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Application.--Subsection (b) and the amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to appointments made on and after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
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