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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Department of Veterans Affairs
Nurses Appreciation Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. REVISED AUTHORITY FOR ADJUSTMENT OF BASIC PAY FOR NURSES AND
CERTAIN OTHER HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Revision of Covered Positions.--Effective October 1, 1999,
section 7451 of title 38, United States Code, is amended in subsection
(a)(2) by striking ''are the following:'' and all that follows and
inserting ''are registered nurses and each additional position referred
to in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of section 7401 of this title (other
than the positions of physician and dentist).''.
(b) Annual Adjustments Under Title 5.--Effective October 1, 1999,
such section is further amended by striking subsections (d), (e), (f),
and (g) and inserting the following:
''(d) The rates of basic pay for each grade in a covered position
shall (notwithstanding subsection (a)(3)(A)) be adjusted in accordance
with sections 5303 and 5304 of title 5.''.
(c) Revised Title 38 Locality Pay Authority.--Effective October 1,
2002, such section is further amended by inserting after subsection
(d), as added by subsection (b) of this section, the following new
subsection:
''(e)(1) Whenever the Secretary determines that the rates of basic
pay in effect for any grade of a covered position, as most recently
adjusted under subsection (d), are inadequate in any area to recruit or
retain high quality personnel at a Department health-care facility in
that area for service in that position, the Secretary shall in
accordance with this subsection adjust the rates of pay for employees
at that facility in that grade of that position.
''(2) An adjustment in rates of basic pay under this subsection for
a grade shall be carried out by adjusting the minimum rate of basic pay
for that grade in accordance with paragraph (3) and then adjusting the
other rates for that grade to conform to the requirements of subsection
(c). Such an adjustment in the minimum rate of basic pay for a grade
shall be made by the Secretary for employees of a Department health-
care facility so as to achieve consistency with the rate of
compensation for corresponding health-care professionals with respect
to that grade in the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor-market area of
that facility.
''(3)(A) In the case of a Department health-care facility located
in an area for which there is current information, based upon
appropriate Bureau of Labor Statistics data for that survey area, on
rates of compensation for corresponding health-care professionals for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey or data area of that facility,
the Secretary shall use that information as the basis for making
adjustments in rates of pay under this subsection for that facility.
Whenever the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the results of a new
appropriate wage survey for that labor market that includes information
on rates of compensation for corresponding health-care professionals,
the Secretary shall determine, not later than 30 days after the results
of the survey are released, the amount of an adjustment in rates of pay
for employees at that facility for any covered position necessary in
order to meet the purposes of this section.
''(B) If the Secretary determines under subparagraph (A) that an
adjustment described in that subparagraph is necessary, such
adjustment, based upon the information determined in the survey under
that subparagraph, shall take effect on the first day of the first pay
period beginning after that determination.
''(4) An adjustment under this subsection may not reduce any rate
of pay.
''(5) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations providing for the
adjustment of the rates of basic pay for Regional and Central Office
employees in covered positions in order to assure that those rates are
sufficient and competitive.
''(6) In this subsection--
''(A) The term 'rate of compensation', with respect to
health-care personnel positions in non-Department health-care
facilities corresponding to a grade of a covered position,
means the sum of--
''(i) the rate of pay established for personnel in
such positions who have education, training, and
experience equivalent or similar to the education,
training, and experience required for health-care
personnel employed in the same category of Department
covered positions; and
''(ii) other employees benefits for those positions
to the extent that those benefits are reasonably
quantifiable.
''(B) The term 'corresponding', with respect to health care
personnel in a specified grade of a covered position in a
Department health-care facility, means health-care personnel
positions in non-Department health-care facilities for which
the education, training, and experience requirements are
equivalent or similar to the education, training, and
experience requirements for Department health care personnel in
that grade of that covered position.''.

SEC. 3. SAVINGS PROVISION.

In the case of an employee of the Veterans Health Administration
who on the day before the effective date for the amendment made by
section 2(b) is receiving a rate of pay by reason of the second
sentence of section 7451(e) of title 38, United States Code, as in
effect on that day, the provisions of the second and third sentences of
that section, as in effect on that day, shall continue to apply to that
employee, notwithstanding the amendment made by section 2(b).
Department of Veterans Affairs Nurses Appreciation Act of 1999 - Amends Federal provisions relating to the pay of health care personnel within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide that, effective October 1, 1999, pay adjustments for registered nurses and certain other positions within the VHA shall be made in the same manner as those generally applicable to Federal employees. Provides that, effective October 1, 2002, whenever the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that such rates of pay are inadequate to recruit or retain high-quality health care personnel at such a facility, the Secretary shall adjust such pay to achieve consistency with the rate of compensation for corresponding health-care professionals in the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor market area of that facility.