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WASHINGTON – Today,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
supported
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
Act,
which
passed
unanimously
in
the
Senate.
This
bipartisan
legislation
would
reform
the
U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
by
allowing
the
secretary
to
dismiss
bad
employees
and
ensure
appropriate
due
process
protections
for
whistleblowers.
"Our
veterans
deserve
the
absolute
best
care
possible,”
said
Scott.
“Unfortunately,
subpar
management,
long
wait
lines,
and
lack
of
accountability
have
plagued
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
for
years.
An
organization
that
was
created
to
help
our
veterans
has
fallen
short
time
and
time
again
in
providing
the
medical
attention
our
service
members
have
both
earned
and
deserve.
While
many
VA
employees
do
an
amazing
job
every
day,
the
fact
remains
there
are
those
who
fall
short,
and
we
must
ensure
standards
improve
and
excellent
service
becomes
the
new
norm
at
our
VA
facilities.
I
remain
committed
to
continuing
to
serve
our
veterans
and
service
members
whenever
possible."
The
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
Act
was
introduced
by
Senators
Johnny
Isakson
(R-GA),
Marco
Rubio
(R-FL)
and
Jon
Tester
(D-MT)
on
May
11.
The
measure
passed
the
Senate
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
by
voice
vote
on
Wednesday,
May
24.
The
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
Act
is
widely
supported
by
key
veterans
stakeholders
including
the
VA
and
U.S.
House
VA
committee
leadership.
It
has
also
won
the
support
of
numerous
veterans
advocacy
groups
that
represent
millions
of
veterans
in
the
United
States
and
key
government
accountability
groups.
Background:
The
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
Act
increases
the
VA’s
authority
to
remove
employees
at
all
levels
of
the
department,
shortens
the
removal
process
and
ensures
an
individual
removed
from
the
VA
is
not
kept
on
the
VA’s
payroll
while
appealing
that
decision.
It
will
also
make
it
easier
for
the
VA
to
remove
poor
performing
senior
executives
and
replace
them
with
qualified
candidates.
Additionally,
any
appeals
by
senior
VA
executives
would
no
longer
be
brought
before
the
Merit
Systems
Protection
Board,
but
instead
would
be
handled
directly
by
the
VA
secretary
under
an
expedited
timeline.
The
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
Act
will
establish
in
law
the
newly
created
Office
of
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
within
the
VA,
which
mirrors
a
proposal
first
introduced
by
Isakson
in
his
Veterans
First
Act
last
Congress.
The
legislation
also
includes
a
number
of
other
provisions
to
hold
employees
accountable,
including:
- Requires
the
VA
to
evaluate
supervisors
based
on
the
protection
of
whistleblowers;
- Incentivizes
managers
to
address
poor
performance
and
misconduct
among
employees
by
requiring
the
VA
secretary
to
include
this
as
part
of
the
annual
performance
plan;
- Prohibits
bonuses
for
employees
who
have
been
found
guilty
of
wrongdoing;
and
- Prohibits
relocation
expenses
to
employees
who
abuse
the
system.
A
one-page
summary
of
the
legislation
can
be
found
here.
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