Title: VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit a plan for obligating and expending covered funds, which are funds made available to the VA for response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
The bill requires the VA to submit biweekly reports regarding obligations, expenditures, and planned uses of the funds until seven days after the VA has expended all covered funds.
The Inspector General of the VA must submit reports examining the obligations and expenditures made using covered funds during the specified reporting period.
Finally, the Government Accountability Office must submit an interim report and final report containing a review of obligations and expenditures made using covered funds.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2911 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2911

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
  plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made 
    available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2021

Mr. Bost (for himself, Mr. Takano, Mr. Pappas, and Mr. Mann) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a 
  plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made 
    available to 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 Transparency & Trust Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC FUNDING MADE 
              AVAILABLE TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Plan and Reports by Secretary.--
            (1) Plan.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate a detailed plan for obligating 
        and expending covered funds, including a detailed justification 
        for each type of obligation of such funds.
            (2) Biweekly reports.--Every 14 days during the period 
        beginning on the date on which the plan under paragraph (1) is 
        submitted and ending seven days after the date on which the 
        Secretary has expended all covered funds, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate a report detailing the 
        obligation and expenditure of, and the planned uses for, such 
        funds during the period covered by the report, including a 
        written justification for any deviation in such obligations, 
        expenditures, or planned uses from such plan.
    (b) Inspector General Audits.--Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and semiannually thereafter for 
three years or until the Secretary has expended all covered funds, 
whichever occurs first, the Inspector General of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate a report examining the 
obligations and expenditures made using covered funds during the period 
covered by the report. Each such report shall include--
            (1) a comparison of how the funds are being obligated and 
        expended to how the funds were planned to be obligated and 
        expended in the plan under subsection (a)(1);
            (2) areas of waste, fraud, and abuse, if any; and
            (3) any other matter the Inspector General determines 
        relevant.
    (c) Comptroller General Reviews.--
            (1) Interim report.--Not later than September 30, 2022, the 
        Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
        Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate an interim report containing a review of 
        obligations and expenditures made using covered funds. The 
        report shall include--
                    (A) a review of the process of the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs for preparing the request for funds;
                    (B) an explanation of how the expenditure of such 
                funds met the goals of the Department during the public 
                health emergency for which the funds were made 
                available;
                    (C) any recommendations to improve the process of 
                identifying needs and expending funds during similar 
                situations in the future; and
                    (D) a review of the plans of the Department to 
                continue programs or investments that were begun with 
                such funds but will continue after such funds are 
                expended.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than September 30, 2024, the 
        Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a final 
        report on the matters specified under paragraph (1).
    (d) Covered Funds Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
funds'' means funds that are made available to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs pursuant to--
            (1) the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 
        116-127);
            (2) the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act 
        (Public Law 116-136); or
            (3) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-
        2).
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