113 HR 2072 : Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2014
U.S. House of Representatives
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2014
.
2.Scoring of budgetary effectsThe budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go
Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement
titled Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation
for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House
Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to
the vote on passage.
3.Accountability of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Inspector General of the Department of Veterans
Affairs
(a)Chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
712.Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General
(a)
(1)If the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs determines that the Secretary has
not appropriately responded with significant progress to a covered report
by the date specified in the action plan of the Secretary developed in
response to such covered report—
(A)the Inspector General shall notify the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of
Representatives and the Secretary of such failure to appropriately
respond; and
(B)not later than 15 days after such notification, the Secretary shall submit to the Inspector General
a list of the names of each responsible manager and the matter in the
action plan for which the manager is responsible.
(2)The Inspector General may not make public the names of responsible managers submitted under
paragraph (1)(B).
(b)Performance of responsible managers
(1)The Secretary shall—
(A)promptly notify each responsible manager of a covered issue by not later than seven days after the
date on which the Secretary submits to the Inspector General the name of
the manager under subsection (a)(1)(B);
(B)direct such manager to resolve such issue; and
(C)provide such manager with appropriate counseling and a mitigation plan with respect to resolving
such issue.
(2)The Secretary shall ensure that any performance review of a responsible manager includes an
evaluation of whether the manager took appropriate actions during the
period covered by the review to respond to the covered issue for which a
request was made under subsection (a).
(3)The Secretary may not pay to a responsible manager any bonus or award, including a performance
award under section 5384 of title 5 if the covered issue for which a request was made under subsection (a) is unresolved.
(c)Role of Inspector GeneralAny authority of the Inspector General provided under this section is in addition to any
responsibility or authority provided to the Inspector General in the
Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).
(d)In this section:
(1)The term covered issue means, with respect to a responsible manager, an issue described in a covered report for which the
manager is or was responsible.
(2)The term covered report means a report by the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs that recommends
actions to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or other official or
employee of the Department) to address an issue in the Department with
respect to public health or safety.
(3)The term responsible manager means an individual who—
(A)is an employee of the Department;
(B)is or was responsible for an issue included in a covered report; and
(C)in being so responsible, is or was employed in a management position, regardless of whether the
employee is in the competitive civil service, Senior Executive Service, or
other type of civil service..
(b)The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 711 the following new item:
712. Accountability of Secretary to Inspector General..
4.Secretary of Veterans Affairs contract authority for transfer of veterans non-Department medical
foster homes
(a)Section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
(h)
(1)During the three-year period beginning on October 1, 2014, at the request of a veteran for whom the
Secretary is required to provide nursing home care under section 1710A of this title, the Secretary may transfer the veteran to a medical foster home that meets
Department standards, at the expense of the United States, pursuant to a
contract or agreement entered into between the Secretary and the medical
foster home for such purpose. A veteran who is transferred to a medical
foster home under this subsection shall agree, as a condition of such
transfer, to accept home health services furnished by the Secretary under section 1717 of this title.
(2)For purposes of this subsection, the term medical foster home means a home designed to provide non-institutional, long-term, supportive care for veterans who
are unable to live independently and prefer a family setting..
(b)Subsection (h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on
October 1, 2014.
5.Conditions on the award of per diem payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the provision
of housing or services to homeless veterans
(a)
(1)Paragraph (1) of section 2012(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a per diem payment may not be provided under this section to a
grant recipient or eligible entity unless the entity submits to the
Secretary an annual certification, approved or verified by the authority
having jurisdiction or a qualified third party, as determined by the
Secretary, that the facility where the entity provides housing or services
for homeless veterans using grant funds is in compliance with codes
relevant to the operations and level of care provided, including
applicable provisions of the most recently published version of the Life
Safety Code or International Building Code and International Fire Code (or
such versions of such codes that have been adopted as State or local codes
by the jurisdiction in which the facility is located), licensing
requirements, fire and safety requirements, and any other requirements in
the jurisdiction in which the facility is located regarding the condition
of the facility and the operation of the entity providing such supportive
housing or services. For purposes of this paragraph, if a facility where a
grant recipient or eligible entity provides housing or services for
homeless veterans using grant funds is located in a jurisdiction without
relevant code requirements, the Secretary shall determine code and
inspection requirements to be applied to the facility..
(2)The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to an application for a per diem
payment under section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b)Section 2065(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and
(2)by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new paragraph (6):
(6)The Secretary’s evaluation of the safety and accessibility of facilities used to provide programs
established by grant recipients or eligible entities under sections 2011
and 2012 of this title, including the number of such grant recipients or
eligible entities who have submitted a certification under section
2012(c)(1)..
(c)Treatment of current recipientsIn the case of the recipient of a per diem payment under section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, that receives such a payment during the year in which this Act is
enacted, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require the recipient to
submit the certification required under section 2012(c)(1) of such title,
as amended by subsection (a)(1), by not later than two years after the
date of the enactment of this Act. If the recipient fails to submit such
certification by such date, the Secretary may not make any additional per
diem payments to the recipient under such section 2012 until the recipient
submits such certification.
6.Extension of loan guaranty fee for certain subsequent loans
(a)Section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)in subparagraph (A)—
(A)in clause (iii), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
; and
(B)in clause (iv), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
;
(2)in subparagraph (C)—
(A)in clause (i), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
; and
(B)in clause (ii), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
; and
(3)in subparagraph (D)—
(A)in clause (i), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
; and
(B)in clause (ii), by striking October 1, 2017
and inserting October 1, 2018
.
7.Extension of authority of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to obtain certain information from the
Secretary of the Treasury or the Commissioner of Social SecuritySection 5317 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking September 30, 2016
and inserting May 31, 2017
.
Passed the House of Representatives June 9, 2014.Karen L. Haas,Clerk