Title: Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit a report outlining the actions taken and plan to address the areas of concern identified in the 2019 High-Risk List of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding acquisition management, risk management, and health care improvement. The VA must also report annually on the implementation of priority recommendations of the GAO that pertain to the VA.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3458 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3458

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
 plan to address certain high risk areas identified by the Comptroller 
   General of the United States regarding the Department of Veterans 
  Affairs in the 2019 High-Risk List of the Government Accountability 
                    Office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
 plan to address certain high risk areas identified by the Comptroller 
   General of the United States regarding the Department of Veterans 
  Affairs in the 2019 High-Risk List of the Government Accountability 
                    Office, 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 ``Reducing High Risk to Veterans and 
Veterans Services Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. REPORT AND PLANNED ACTIONS OF THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              TO ADDRESS CERTAIN HIGH-RISK AREAS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
consultation with the Comptroller General of the United States, shall 
submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
outlining the plan the Secretary has developed and the actions the 
Secretary has taken to address the areas of concern identified by the 
Comptroller General for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the 2019 
High-Risk List of the Government Accountability Office (GAO-19-157SP) 
regarding--
            (1) acquisition management; and
            (2) managing risks and improving health care.
    (b) Elements.--The report under subsection (a) shall include each 
of the following:
            (1) Root causes of the areas of concern described in 
        paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a).
            (2) Corrective actions and specific steps to address each 
        root cause, including--
                    (A) the progress of the Secretary in implementing 
                those actions and steps; and
                    (B) timelines and milestones the Secretary 
                determines feasible to complete each corrective action.
            (3) Resources the Secretary determines are necessary to 
        implement corrective actions, including--
                    (A) funding;
                    (B) stakeholders;
                    (C) technology; and
                    (D) senior officials responsible for implementing 
                the corrective actions and reporting results.
            (4) Metrics for assessing progress in addressing the areas 
        of concern described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
        (a).
            (5) Key outcomes that demonstrate progress in addressing 
        the areas of concern described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
        subsection (a).
            (6) Obstacles to implementation of the plan that the 
        Secretary identifies.
            (7) Recommendations of the Secretary regarding legislation 
        or funding the Secretary determines necessary to implement the 
        plan.
            (8) Any other information the Secretary determines is 
        relevant to understanding the progress of the Department toward 
        the removal of the areas of concern from the High Risk List.
    (c) Annual Updates.--
            (1) Update required.--Not less than once each year during 
        the implementation period under paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        shall submit to Congress an update regarding implementation of 
        each element of the plan under subsection (b).
            (2) Implementation period.--The implementation period 
        described in this paragraph begins on the date on which the 
        Secretary submits the report required under subsection (a) and 
        ends on the earlier of the following dates:
                    (A) The date on which the Comptroller General 
                removes the last area of concern for the Department 
                from the most recent High-Risk List of the Government 
                Accountability Office.
                    (B) The date that is 8 years after the date on 
                which the Secretary submits the plan required under 
                subsection (a).

SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON 
              IMPLEMENTATION OF PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMPTROLLER 
              GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES PERTAINING TO DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Annual Report Required.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and not less than once during each of the 
subsequent three years, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives and to the 
Comptroller General of the United States a report on the implementation 
of priority recommendations of the Comptroller General that pertain to 
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall 
include, for the period covered by the report, the following:
            (1) The progress of the Secretary in implementing all open 
        priority recommendations of the Comptroller General for the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) An explanation for each instance where the Secretary 
        has decided not to implement, or has not fully implemented, an 
        open priority recommendation of the Comptroller General for the 
        Department.
            (3) A summary of the corrective actions taken and remaining 
        steps the Secretary plans to take to implement open priority 
        recommendations of the Comptroller General.
    (c) Supplement Not Supplant Certain Required Reports or Written 
Statements.--The report under this section shall not be construed to 
supplant any report or written statement required under section 720 of 
title 31, United States Code.
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