What This Bill Does
This bill limits the practice of temporarily reassigning (or "detailing") medical center directors at the Department of Veterans Affairs to other positions within the agency. It requires the Department to notify Congress when a director is reassigned, appoint someone to temporarily run the medical center, and either return the director to their original job or hire a replacement within a set timeframe.
Who It Affects
Directors of medical centers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Congress (specifically the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and House Committee on Veterans' Affairs), and veterans who receive care at these medical centers.
Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must notify Congress within 90 days after reassigning a medical center director to a different position, including where the director is going, their new job title, and how long they are expected to be away (Sec. 2(a)).
- The Secretary must appoint an acting director within 120 days to run the medical center with full authority and responsibilities while the regular director is away (Sec. 2(b)).
- The Secretary must provide Congress an update on the reassignment within 120 days and then every 30 days while the reassignment continues or the position stays empty (Sec. 2(c)).
- Within 180 days of reassigning a director, the Secretary must either return them to their original position or begin hiring a new director, unless an ongoing investigation or administrative action is happening (Sec. 2(d)).
- The Secretary can extend a reassignment for up to 540 days total in separate 90-day periods and must notify Congress within 30 days of each extension, explaining why it is necessary (Sec. 2(d)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, the Department of Veterans Affairs must follow specific timelines and notification requirements when temporarily reassigning medical center directors. Medical centers will have designated acting directors instead of operating without permanent leadership. Congress will receive regular updates about these reassignments.
Important Definitions
The bill does not define any terms explicitly.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 55
To limit the detailing of directors of medical centers of the Department
of Veterans Affairs to different positions within the Department, and
for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY 24 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2023
Mr. BOOZMAN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To limit the detailing of directors of medical centers of
the Department of Veterans Affairs to different positions
within the Department, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA medical Center
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Absence and Notification Timeline Act’’ or the ‘‘VACANT
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Act’’.
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•S 55 IS
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON DETAIL OF DIRECTORS OF MED-
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ICAL CENTERS OF DEPARTMENT OF VET-
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ERANS AFFAIRS TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS.
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(a) NOTIFICATION.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after
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detailing a director of a medical center of the De-
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partment of Veterans Affairs to a different position
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within the Department, the Secretary of Veterans
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Affairs shall notify the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
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fairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’
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Affairs of the House of Representatives of such de-
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tail.
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(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The notifica-
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tion required by paragraph (1) shall include, with re-
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spect to a director of a medical center who is de-
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tailed to a different position within the Department,
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the following information:
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(A) The location at which the director is
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detailed.
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(B) The position title of the detail.
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(C) The estimated time the director is ex-
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pected to be absent from their duties at the
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medical center.
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(D) Such other information as the Sec-
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retary may determine appropriate.
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•S 55 IS
(b) APPOINTMENT OF ACTING DIRECTOR.—Not later
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than 120 days after detailing a director of a medical cen-
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ter of the Department to a different position within the
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Department, the Secretary shall appoint an individual as
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acting director of such medical center with all of the au-
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thority and responsibilities of the detailed director.
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(c) UPDATE ON DETAIL.—Not later than 120 days
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after detailing a director of a medical center of the De-
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partment to a different position within the Department,
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and not less frequently than every 30 days thereafter while
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the detail is in effect or while the director position at the
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medical center is vacant, the Secretary shall submit to the
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Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the
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Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep-
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resentatives an update regarding the status of the detail.
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(d) RETURN TO POSITION OR REASSIGNMENT.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
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graph (2), not later than 180 days after detailing a
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director of a medical center of the Department to a
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different position within the Department, for a rea-
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son other than an ongoing investigation or adminis-
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trative action with respect to the director, the Sec-
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retary shall—
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(A) return the individual to the position as
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director of the medical center; or
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•S 55 IS
(B) reassign the individual from the posi-
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tion as director of the medical center and begin
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the process of hiring a new director for such po-
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sition.
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(2) WAIVER.—
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may
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waive the requirement under paragraph (1)
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with respect to an individual for successive 90-
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day increments for a total period of not more
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than 540 days from the original date the indi-
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vidual was detailed away from their position as
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director of a medical center.
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(B) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30
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days after exercising a waiver under subpara-
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graph (A), the Secretary shall notify Congress
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of the waiver and provide to Congress informa-
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tion as to why the waiver is necessary.
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Æ
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