United States 114th Congress Status: Died 1 R cosponsors

HR 5526 — 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.

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. Died in session

This bill died with 114th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

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. This bill includes directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of the Under Secretary for Health. The bill provides that the pay for medical directors and directors of networks shall consist of base pay and market pay. Market pay shall consist of pay intended to reflect the recruitment and retention needs for the assignment of a particular director. The requirement that the VA consult with two or more national surveys in making a general determination of market pay for physicians and dentists, or with a panel or board in making such determination for a specific physician or dentist, is eliminated. The annual determination of 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 VA-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience. Veterans federal employment preference provisions are amended to: (1) make all retired members of the armed forces preference eligible, (2) provide preference eligible individuals with a senior executive position hiring preference, and (3) make the active duty service criteria 180 cumulative days (rather than 180 consecutive days as currently provided). The VA may non-competitively appoint a qualified former employee to any VA position within the competitive or excepted service that is one grade higher than the position most recently occupied by the employee. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the plan conducted for VA senior executive employees; establish a single database that lists each vacant VA position that is critical, difficult to fill, or both; prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment; 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; collect information on hiring effectiveness; and develop and carry out a standardized exit survey for career and noncareer VA employees and executives who voluntarily separate from the VA. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of succession planning at: (1) each VA medical facility, and (2) the VBA and the VA National Cemetery Administration.

Bill Text

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Read HR 5526 on the official United States source →

Action History

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

  2. Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform

  3. Referred to House Veterans' Affairs

  4. Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  5. Introduced in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans healthcare labor
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Frequently asked questions

What does HR 5526 do?
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. This bill includes directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of the Under Secretary for Health. The bill provides that the pay for medical directors and directors of networks shall consist of base pay and market pay. Market pay shall consist of pay intended to reflect the recruitment and retention needs for the assignment of a particular director. The requirement that the VA consult with two or more national surveys in making a general determination of market pay for physicians and dentists, or with a panel or board in making such determination for a specific physician or dentist, is eliminated. The annual determination of 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 VA-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience. Veterans federal employment preference provisions are amended to: (1) make all retired members of the armed forces preference eligible, (2) provide preference eligible individuals with a senior executive position hiring preference, and (3) make the active duty service criteria 180 cumulative days (rather than 180 consecutive days as currently provided). The VA may non-competitively appoint a qualified former employee to any VA position within the competitive or excepted service that is one grade higher than the position most recently occupied by the employee. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the plan conducted for VA senior executive employees; establish a single database that lists each vacant VA position that is critical, difficult to fill, or both; prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment; 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; collect information on hiring effectiveness; and develop and carry out a standardized exit survey for career and noncareer VA employees and executives who voluntarily separate from the VA. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of succession planning at: (1) each VA medical facility, and (2) the VBA and the VA National Cemetery Administration.
Who sponsors HR 5526?
HR 5526 is sponsored by Brad Wenstrup (R).
What is the current status of HR 5526?
This bill died with 114th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 5526?
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