Bill > S2554

This bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability Act of 2016, allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote employees for performance issues or misconduct, which can include neglecting duties, malfeasance (wrongdoing), failing to accept reassignment, violating policy or law, insubordination, overprescribing medication, or contributing to the purposeful omission of a veteran's name from an electronic waitlist for healthcare. The bill streamlines the appeals process for such actions, limiting appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to seven days and requiring the MSPB to issue a decision within 45 days, after which the decision is final and not subject to further appeal, with no possibility of a stay on the removal or demotion during the appeal process. It also includes provisions for whistleblower protection, requiring approval from the Office of Special Counsel for removals or demotions of individuals seeking corrective action for prohibited personnel practices. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), a regional administrative unit within the VA, to contract for investigations of medical centers within their network, and mandates a report from the Comptroller General on the implementation and effectiveness of the Veterans Choice Program, a program providing eligible veterans with access to healthcare in the community.