Title: VA Supply Chain Resiliency Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Supply Chain Resiliency Act
This bill addresses the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) supply chain processes, particularly during emergency periods.
The bill requires the VA to submit a report containing a description of the items and quantities of items that are critical with respect to the VA's ongoing response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and future epidemic, pandemic, emergency, national emergency, or natural disaster scenarios.
The VA and the Department of Defense (DOD) must enter into an agreement to provide for the participation of the VA in the Warstopper Program of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) of DOD. The Warstopper Program was established to satisfy requirements for sudden and sustained increases in production of critical industrial and medical items.
Under such an agreement, the DLA must
Finally, the VA must ensure it does not exclusively rely on holding regional, physical inventories of critical items in order to respond to greater than expected needs during epidemic, pandemic, emergency, national emergency, or natural disaster situations.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 887 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 887

   To make certain improvements relating to the supply chain of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2021

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To make certain improvements relating to the supply chain of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 Supply Chain Resiliency Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCY.

    (a) Report on Critical Items and Requirements.--Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 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 a report containing each of the following:
            (1) A description of the items and types of items the 
        Secretary considers critical with respect to--
                    (A) the ongoing response to the Coronavirus 2019 
                (COVID-19) pandemic; and
                    (B) future epidemic, pandemic, emergency, national 
                emergency, or natural disaster scenarios.
            (2) The quantities of the items described in paragraph (1) 
        that are available, as of the date of the enactment of this 
        Act, in inventories, emergency caches, or other emergency 
        inventories of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (3) The anticipated quantities of the items described in 
        paragraph (1) that would be necessary under potential epidemic, 
        pandemic, emergency, national emergency, or natural disaster 
        scenarios the Secretary determines to be relevant for planning 
        purposes.
            (4) The assumptions and key planning factors used by the 
        Secretary to identify the items, types of items, and necessary 
        quantities of items for types of scenarios, as described in 
        paragraphs (1) and (3).
    (b) Participation in Warstopper Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        and the Secretary of Defense shall enter into an agreement to 
        provide for the participation of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs in the program known as the ``Warstopper Program'' of 
        the Defense Logistics Agency, or any successor program.
            (2) Requirements.--Pursuant to the agreement under 
        paragraph (1), the Defense Logistics Agency shall--
                    (A) ensure the maintenance and stability of the 
                items that are identified as critical in the report 
                required under subsection (a) and that the Secretary of 
                Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense determine 
                are appropriate for the Warstopper Program;
                    (B) establish guidance for the participation of the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs in the Warstopper 
                Program that includes an identification of the items 
                and types of items that are critical to the needs of 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
                    (C) use existing contracts and agreements and enter 
                into new contracts and agreements, as necessary, with 
                manufacturers and distributors to reserve the supply of 
                such critical items rather than rely on holding 
                physical inventories of such items.
    (c) Report on Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, 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 a report on the implementation of this section.
            (2) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall contain each the following:
                    (A) An implementation plan for the participation of 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Warstopper 
                Program, including milestones and timelines for related 
                administrative, contracting, and readiness activities.
                    (B) For each of the items and associated quantities 
                identified in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection 
                (a)--
                            (i) the method by which the Secretary of 
                        Veterans Affairs plans to ensure the Department 
                        continues to have access to adequate quantities 
                        of such items and types of items, including in 
                        the Warstopper Program and in regional, 
                        physical inventories; and
                            (ii) justifications for the method or 
                        methods identified under clause (i).
            (3) Updates to report.--The Secretary shall update the 
        report required under paragraph (1) on an annual basis for each 
        of the two years following the submission of the report under 
        such paragraph and submit such updates to the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives.
    (d) Prohibition on Exclusive Reliance on Regional Inventories.--The 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the Department does not 
exclusively rely on holding regional, physical inventories of critical 
items in order to respond to greater than expected needs for such items 
during epidemic, pandemic, emergency, national emergency, or natural 
disaster situations.
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