[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2478-S2479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2222. Ms. LUMMIS (for Mr. Moran) proposed an amendment to the bill
S. 423, to protect regular order for budgeting for the Department of
Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. PROTECTING REGULAR ORDER FOR VETERANS.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025'' or the
``PRO Veterans Act of 2025''.
(b) Quarterly Briefings on Department of Veterans Affairs
Budgetary Shortfalls.--
(1) Quarterly briefings.--
(A) Quarterly briefings required.--During the first quarter
beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act and in
each quarter thereafter until the date that is three years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall provide to the appropriate committees
of Congress a quarterly briefing, in person, on the budget of
the Department of Veterans Affairs and any shortfall the
Department may be experiencing.
(B) Plans.--In any case in which the Secretary informs
Congress during a briefing under paragraph (1) that the
Department is experiencing a shortfall, the Secretary shall,
during such briefing, present the plans of the Secretary to
address or mitigate the shortfall.
(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(i) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(ii) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(B) Shortfall.--The term ``shortfall'', with respect to a
fiscal year, means that the amount of appropriations required
by the Department of Veterans Affairs for such fiscal year to
meet all of the statutory obligations of the Department
during that fiscal year exceeds the amount of appropriations
requested for the Department for that fiscal year in the
budget of the President submitted pursuant to section 1105(a)
of title 31, United States Code, for that fiscal year.
(c) Limitations on Provision of Incentives for Critical
Skills to Senior Executive Service Employees of Department of
Veterans Affairs.--Section 706(d) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(7)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B)(ii), a critical skill
incentive may not be provided under paragraph (1) to an
employee of the Department employed in a Senior Executive
Service position, or a position in another comparable system
for senior-level Government employees, as defined by the
Secretary, whose position is at the Central Office of the
Department, including the Veterans Health Administration, the
Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery
Administration, regardless of the actual location where the
employee performs the functions of the position.
``(B)(i) A critical skill incentive provided under
paragraph (1) to an employee of the Department employed in a
Senior Executive Service position, or a position in another
comparable system for senior-level Government employees, as
defined by the Secretary, not described in subparagraph (A)
of this paragraph may only be provided--
``(I) on an individual basis and may not be provided to a
group of such employees; and
``(II) upon approval of the following officers or those
serving in an acting capacity:
[[Page S2479]]
``(aa) The Under Secretary for Benefits, the Under
Secretary for Health, or the Under Secretary for Memorial
Affairs.
``(bb) The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and
Administration.
``(cc) The Director of the Office of Management or the
Chief Financial Officer.
``(dd) The Assistant Secretary for Accountability and
Whistleblower Protection.
``(ee) The General Counsel.
``(ff) Such other officers as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
``(ii) In the case of an employee of the Department
employed in a Senior Executive Service position, or a
position in another comparable system for senior-level
Government employees, as defined by the Secretary, whose
position is primarily at the Central Office of the
Department, but who performs some portion of the employee's
job function at other facilities of the Department, as
defined by the Secretary, not at Central Office--
``(I) the employee shall not be considered described in
subparagraph (A) with respect to the portion of the
employee's job function that is based out of non-Central
Office facilities of the Department; and
``(II) any critical skill incentive provided under
paragraph (1) to the employee for the portion of the
employee's job function that is based out of facilities of
the Department other than the Central Office shall be
proportionate to the time spent at those Department
facilities.
``(C)(i) Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of the Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of
2025, and not less frequently than once each year thereafter,
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
of the House of Representatives an annual report on the
employees of the Department employed in a Senior Executive
Service position, or a position in another comparable system
for senior-level Government employees, as defined by the
Secretary, who were provided a critical skill incentive under
paragraph (1).
``(ii) Reports submitted pursuant to clause (i) may be
submitted by incorporating their contents into other
congressionally mandated reports to the committees described
in such clause.
``(D) In this paragraph, the term `Senior Executive Service
position' has the meaning given such term in section 3132(a)
of title 5.''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Improving Veterans' Experience Act of 2025''.
(b) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 325. Veterans experience office
``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the
Department within the Office of the Secretary an office to be
known as the `Veterans Experience Office' (in this section
referred to as the `Office').
``(b) Head of Office.--(1) The head of the Office shall be
the Chief Veterans Experience Officer.
``(2) The Chief Veterans Experience Officer shall--
``(A) be appointed by the Secretary from among individuals
the Secretary considers qualified to perform the duties of
the position;
``(B) report directly to the Secretary; and
``(C) be responsible for carrying out the functions of the
Office set forth under subsection (c).
``(c) Function.--The functions of the Office are as
follows:
``(1) Carrying out the key customer experience initiatives
of the Department relating to veterans' and other
beneficiaries' satisfaction with and usage of benefits and
services furnished under laws administered by the Secretary
for which they are eligible, including setting the strategy,
framework, policy, and other guidance for the Department
relating to customer experience, including ensuring the
activities of the Office and those of other organizations and
offices within the Department are coordinated and not
duplicative.
``(2) Requiring the heads of other organizations and
offices within the Department to report regularly on customer
experience metrics, action plans, and other customer
experience improvement efforts to the Chief Veterans
Experience Officer.
``(3) Collecting veteran-derived data--
``(A) to determine veteran and beneficiary satisfaction
with and usage of the benefits and services furnished under
laws administered by the Secretary for which they are
eligible; and
``(B) to be considered during policymaking.
``(4) Providing strategic guidance and strategies to
Department entities for engaging with veterans and
beneficiaries regarding benefits and services furnished under
laws administered by the Secretary, including those not using
such benefits and services.
``(5) Assessing and advising the Secretary on the accuracy
and helpfulness of the websites and other customer-facing
information of the Department, be it available electronically
or in any other format.
``(6) Assessing and advising the Secretary on the status
and opportunities for improvement of the customer service
efforts of the Department.
``(d) Reports.--(1) Each year, the Chief Veterans
Experience Officer shall submit to the Secretary a summary of
the data received by the Chief Veterans Experience Officer
under subsection (c)(2).
``(2) Each year, not later than 180 days after the date on
which the Secretary receives the summary under paragraph (1),
the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual summary and
analysis of the matters summarized pursuant to such
paragraph.
``(3) Each annual summary submitted pursuant to paragraph
(2) shall include the following:
``(A) Data regarding customer service and experience
feedback, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under
laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic
data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the
feedback.
``(B) Data regarding veteran and beneficiary satisfaction
with and usage of benefits or services, disaggregated by
benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the
Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and
beneficiaries providing the feedback, including--
``(i) potential reasons for not using the benefits or
services, such as--
``(I) eligibility;
``(II) lack of knowledge or awareness of existence of
benefit or service;
``(III) barriers of technology, information, or time; and
``(IV) other related reasons; and
``(ii) an analysis of how such reasons may be addressed.
``(e) Staff and Resources.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure
that--
``(A) the Office has such staff, resources, and access to
customer service and experience information as may be
necessary to carry out the functions of the Office; and
``(B) any information provided to the Office does not
include personally identifiable information of an individual
veteran, survivor, dependent, or other beneficiary unless
such individual provides appropriate consent to allow such
information to be shared with the Office.
``(2) Funds available for basic pay and other
administrative expenses of other Department organizations and
offices may be available to reimburse the Office for all
services provided at rates which will recover actual costs
for services provided to such organizations if the Secretary
determines that contributing to such costs will not undermine
the ability of any such organization or office to provide
services required by such office.
``(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
authorize an increase in the number of full-time employees
otherwise authorized for the Department.
``(f) Privacy.--Nothing in this section shall be construed
to authorize the Chief Veterans Experience Officer to
disclose any record in contravention of section 552a of title
5 (commonly referred to as the `Privacy Act of 1974').
``(g) Sunset.--The requirements and authorities of this
section shall terminate on September 30, 2028.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at
the end the following new item:
``325. Veterans Experience Office.''.
(c) Comptroller General of the United States Review of
Veterans Experience Office and Customer Service Improvement
Efforts.--Not later than 540 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall--
(1) complete an analysis of the methodology, effectiveness,
and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and
beneficiaries used by the Department of Veterans Affairs,
including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve veteran
and beneficiary customer experience and satisfaction,
including through the use of what are known as ``trust-
scores'', Veteran Signals also known as ``VSignals'', and
related survey and data collection activities, processes, and
initiatives; and
(2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a report setting forth the findings of the
Comptroller General with respect to the analysis completed
pursuant to paragraph (1).
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