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A bill to improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire and retain physicians and other employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

USA115th CongressS-1550| Senate 
| Updated: 7/13/2017
Luther Strange

Luther Strange

Republican Senator

Alabama

Cosponsors (3)
Tom Cotton (Republican)James M. Inhofe (Republican)Marco Rubio (Republican)

Veterans' Affairs Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Employment Act of 2017 This bill provides that the annual determination of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) staff shortages shall include shortages for five clinical and five non-clinical occupations for each network. (Such determination currently includes the five occupations for which there are the largest Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience, and (2) a private-sector entity with VA training and experience. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the plan conducted for VA career senior executive employees; establish a single database that lists each vacant VA position that is critical, difficult to fill, or both, and each vacant mental health position; prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates; provide VHA human resources with training on employee recruitment and retention; establish a promotional track system for employees who are technical experts to advance without being required to transition to management positions; develop a program to transition military medical people into VHA employment; develop a plan to hire qualified directors for each medical center without a permanent director; develop a standardized VA exit survey; and ensure that a recruiter for each Veterans Integrated Service Network visits, at least annually, each allopathic and osteopathic teaching institution with a graduate medical education program within the network to recruit individuals to be appointed to VHA positions. The VA may non-competitively appoint a qualified former career or career conditional employee to any VA position within the competitive service that is one grade higher than the position most recently occupied by the employee.
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Timeline
Mar 21, 2017

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 115-1367
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Jul 13, 2017
Introduced in Senate
Jul 13, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  • March 21, 2017

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 115-1367
    Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


  • July 13, 2017
    Introduced in Senate


  • July 13, 2017
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Armed Forces and National Security

Related Bills

  • S 115-114: VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017
  • HR 115-1367: To improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire and retain physicians and other employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Congressional oversightDepartment of Veterans AffairsEmployee hiringEmployment and training programsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesHealth care qualityHealth information and medical recordsHealth personnelHealth programs administration and fundingMedical educationMilitary medicinePublic-private cooperation

A bill to improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire and retain physicians and other employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

USA115th CongressS-1550| Senate 
| Updated: 7/13/2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Employment Act of 2017 This bill provides that the annual determination of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) staff shortages shall include shortages for five clinical and five non-clinical occupations for each network. (Such determination currently includes the five occupations for which there are the largest Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience, and (2) a private-sector entity with VA training and experience. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the plan conducted for VA career senior executive employees; establish a single database that lists each vacant VA position that is critical, difficult to fill, or both, and each vacant mental health position; prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates; provide VHA human resources with training on employee recruitment and retention; establish a promotional track system for employees who are technical experts to advance without being required to transition to management positions; develop a program to transition military medical people into VHA employment; develop a plan to hire qualified directors for each medical center without a permanent director; develop a standardized VA exit survey; and ensure that a recruiter for each Veterans Integrated Service Network visits, at least annually, each allopathic and osteopathic teaching institution with a graduate medical education program within the network to recruit individuals to be appointed to VHA positions. The VA may non-competitively appoint a qualified former career or career conditional employee to any VA position within the competitive service that is one grade higher than the position most recently occupied by the employee.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
Mar 21, 2017

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 115-1367
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Jul 13, 2017
Introduced in Senate
Jul 13, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  • March 21, 2017

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 115-1367
    Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


  • July 13, 2017
    Introduced in Senate


  • July 13, 2017
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Luther Strange

Luther Strange

Republican Senator

Alabama

Cosponsors (3)
Tom Cotton (Republican)James M. Inhofe (Republican)Marco Rubio (Republican)

Veterans' Affairs Committee

Armed Forces and National Security

Related Bills

  • S 115-114: VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017
  • HR 115-1367: To improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire and retain physicians and other employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Congressional oversightDepartment of Veterans AffairsEmployee hiringEmployment and training programsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesHealth care qualityHealth information and medical recordsHealth personnelHealth programs administration and fundingMedical educationMilitary medicinePublic-private cooperation