Title: Serve Veterans First Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Serve Veterans First Act of 2017
This bill requires the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the end of each calendar year, to determine whether any veteran attempted but was unable to schedule an appointment to receive hospital care or a medical service within the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration.
The bill prohibits any VA employee from using official time for any purpose related to a labor organization: (1) before the Inspector General has made such determination; or (2) if the Inspector General's most recent determination found that such an incident occurred.
The Inspector General must investigate each report received of such an incident and may determine whether it occurred.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1477 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1477

To prohibit the use of official time for labor organizing activities by 
  employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs unless all veterans 
seeking hospital care or medical services from the Department are able 
   to schedule their appointments within the wait-time goals of the 
        Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2017

   Mr. Flake introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the use of official time for labor organizing activities by 
  employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs unless all veterans 
seeking hospital care or medical services from the Department are able 
   to schedule their appointments within the wait-time goals 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Serve Veterans First Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON USE OF OFFICIAL TIME BY EMPLOYEES OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR LABOR ORGANIZING 
              ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Temporary Prohibition.--Notwithstanding section 7131 of title 
5, United States Code, no employee of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs may use official time for any purpose relating to a labor 
organization--
            (1) before any determination has been made under subsection 
        (b); or
            (2) if the most recent determination made under subsection 
        (b) was that a veteran attempted to schedule an appointment for 
        the receipt of hospital care or a medical service under chapter 
        17 of title 38, United States Code, but was unable to schedule 
        the appointment within the wait-time goals of the Veterans 
        Health Administration for the furnishing of such care or 
        service.
    (b) Determinations.--
            (1) Annual determinations.--At the end of each calendar 
        year, the Inspector General of the Department shall determine 
        whether any veteran attempted, during such year, to schedule an 
        appointment for the receipt of hospital care or a medical 
        service under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, but 
        was unable to schedule the appointment within the wait-time 
        goals of the Veterans Health Administration for the furnishing 
        of such care or service.
            (2) Investigations and subsequent determinations.--The 
        Inspector General of the Department--
                    (A) shall investigate each report the Inspector 
                General receives of the case of an attempt by a veteran 
                to schedule an appointment for the receipt of hospital 
                care or a medical service under chapter 17 of title 38, 
                United States Code, in which the veteran was unable to 
                schedule the appointment within the wait-time goals of 
                the Veterans Health Administration for the furnishing 
                of such care or service; and
                    (B) may, pursuant to an investigation carried out 
                under subparagraph (A), determine that a veteran 
                attempted to schedule an appointment for the receipt of 
                hospital care or a medical service under chapter 17 of 
                title 38, United States Code, but was unable to 
                schedule the appointment within the wait-time goals of 
                the Veterans Health Administration for the furnishing 
                of such care or service.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Official time.--The term ``official time'' means any 
        period of time--
                    (A) which may be granted to an employee under 
                chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code, including a 
                collective bargaining agreement entered into under such 
                chapter, or chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, 
                to perform representational or consultative functions; 
                and
                    (B) during which the employee would otherwise be in 
                a duty status.
            (2) Wait-time goals of the veterans health 
        administration.--The term ``wait-time goals of the Veterans 
        Health Administration'' means not more than 30 days from the 
        date on which a veteran requests an appointment for hospital 
        care or medical services from the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs.
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