Title: VA Scheduling Accountability Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Scheduling Accountability Act
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that each VA medical facility annually certifies that it is in full compliance with all provisions of law and regulations relating to scheduling appointments for veterans hospital care and medical services. The VA may not waive any applicable provision of such laws or regulations.
If unable to make such certification, the facility shall provide the VA with an explanation of noncompliance and a description of compliance actions being taken. If a facility does not make a certification for any year, each covered official may not receive specified awards or bonuses during the subsequent year. A covered official is the: (1) director, (2) chief of staff, (3) associate director, (4) associate director for patient care, and (5) 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 standardized manner, including at the local level.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 467 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 467

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that each medical 
     facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with 
     requirements relating to scheduling veterans for health care 
 appointments, to improve the uniform application of directives of the 
                  Department, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 12, 2017

Mrs. Walorski introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that each medical 
     facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with 
     requirements relating to scheduling veterans for health care 
 appointments, to improve the uniform application of directives 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 ``VA Scheduling Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE WITH SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS.

    (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 the medical facility is in full compliance with 
        all provisions of law and regulations relating to scheduling 
        appointments for veterans to receive hospital care and medical 
        services, including pursuant to Veterans Health Administration 
        Directive 2010-027, or any successor directive.
            (2) Prohibition on waiver.--The Secretary may not waive any 
        provision of the laws or regulations described in paragraph (1) 
        for a medical facility of the Department if such provision 
        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 laws and regulations 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, each covered official described in 
        paragraph (2) may not 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.--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.--The Secretary shall annually submit to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representative and the 
Senate 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. STANDARDIZED APPLICATION OF DIRECTIVES AND POLICIES OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that the directives and policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
apply to, and are implemented by, each office or facility of the 
Department in a standardized manner, including such offices and 
facilities at the local level.
    (b) Notification.--If the Secretary does not apply and implement 
the directives and policies of the Department in a standardized manner 
pursuant to subsection (a), including by waiving such a directive or 
policy with respect to an office or facility of the Department, the 
Secretary shall notify the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate of such nonstandardized application 
or implementation, including an explanation for the nonstandardized 
application or implementation, as the case may be.
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