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S. 493 115th Congress Senate

Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability First Act of 2017

Official title: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the removal or demotion of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct, and for other purposes.

Introduced: April 24, 2017 See on congress.gov
Armed Forces and National Security Administrative remediesCongressional oversightDepartment of Veterans AffairsEmployee performance
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Employment discrimination and employee rightsFederal officialsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment studies and investigationsHealth facilities and institutionsHealth personnelOffice of Personnel Management (OPM)Transportation costsVeterans' medical care
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 2, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Mar 2, 2017
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action March 2, 2017

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability First Act of 2017

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove, demote by a reduction in grade and pay, or suspend a VA employee, including a member in a senior executive position, for reasons of performance or misconduct.

The bill prescribes VA removal and employee appeals procedures.

Whistle-blower protections are revised, including by prohibiting the VA from taking any such action against a person who has a pending whistle-blower complaint.

This bill provides for the reduction of federal annuities of VA employees and retirees convicted of a felony that influenced their performance while employed in such position.

The VA may recoup certain bonuses, awards, and reallocation expenses.

The VA may directly appoint qualifying individuals to the positions of Medical Center Director and Director of Veterans Integrated Service Network.

The bill revises time periods for adverse action reviews with respect to physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • S 1094 Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017
  • HR 1259 VA Accountability First Act of 2017
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 9
All 9 Republican 7
R
Boozman, John
Arkansas · Apr 24, 2017
Burr, Richard
· Apr 24, 2017
 R
Cruz, Ted
Texas · Apr 7, 2017
 R
Daines, Steve
Montana · Apr 7, 2017
 R
Lee, Mike
Utah · Apr 5, 2017
Toomey, Patrick
· Mar 28, 2017
 R
Tillis, Thomas
North Carolina · Mar 21, 2017
 R
Young, Todd
Indiana · Mar 21, 2017
 R
Scott, Tim
South Carolina · Mar 13, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 493: Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability First Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-493/
MLA
"S. 493: Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability First Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-493/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 493, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-493/.
Markdown link
[S. 493: Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability First Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-493/)
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