Arlington, VA – Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted 310-116 in favor of the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016 (H.R. 5620).
The bill would expedite the removal of problem employees, increase the power of the VA Secretary to remove problem employees, and prevent bonuses for senior executives for the next five years. It also would provide unprecedented protections for whistleblowers and address some of the constitutional concerns that have been raised by opponents of previous accountability measures.
Additionally, H.R. 5620 addresses the broken claims process – giving veterans more choices when it comes to appealing VA Regional Office’s initial decisions.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Vice President of Policy and Communications Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“CVA applauds those members of the House who voted for real accountability through the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act. We expect the Senate will follow suit immediately. It’s currently next to impossible to fire bad employees at the VA, and whistleblowers who speak up aren’t protected – that must change. These reforms are common-sense and long overdue.”
H.R. 5620 was introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) this past July.
Two years ago, CVA launched the VA Accountability Project as an effort to hold the VA accountable for the wait times and inadequate care veterans suffer, as well as unethical behavior and misuse of resources as the VA.