S1068-119

What This Bill Does

This bill establishes protections for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its employees against mass layoffs, office closures, and policy changes enacted after January 20, 2025. It creates new transparency and reporting requirements for the VA Secretary and limits the authority to implement hiring freezes, reduce staffing, or cancel contracts without Congressional approval and detailed justification.

Who Benefits and How

Veterans and their families benefit by preserving existing VA services, programs, and staffing levels that provide healthcare and benefits. The bill explicitly protects access to medical facilities, wait time transparency, and claims processing capacity.

VA employees and federal workers who are veterans, military spouses, caregivers, and survivors receive specific job protections. They cannot be removed in groups of more than 5 without prior notice to supervisors, cannot be fired for performance without a documented poor rating, and cannot be terminated if it would create more than 50% vacancy in their office.

Veteran-owned small businesses with VA contracts are protected from mass contract cancellations, which require Congressional notification and cost-benefit analysis before proceeding.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The VA Secretary and leadership face extensive new reporting requirements. They must submit quarterly reports on costs from policy changes, notify Congress 180 days before any reduction in force, and justify any office closures one year in advance. The Secretary cannot simultaneously serve as head of another federal agency.

Non-VA personnel and the Department of Government Efficiency face restrictions on accessing VA systems and data. Only VA officers, employees, and contractors may access VA information systems. Others must hold security clearances, complete training, sign ethics agreements, and have at least one year of continuous federal service.

Federal agencies generally must report annually on hiring, retention, and removal of veterans and military family members, creating new compliance and tracking burdens.

Key Provisions

• Limits on mass personnel actions: VA cannot fire, demote, or suspend groups of more than 5 military-connected employees on the same day without supervisor approval and 10 days notice
• Hiring freeze restrictions: No hiring freeze allowed unless the VA Secretary certifies it will not increase costs and provides a written report to Congress
• Office closure protections: VA cannot close or realign any office without specific Congressional authorization and one year advance notice
• System access restrictions: Non-VA individuals cannot access VA information systems without security clearances, ethics agreements, and completion of required training
• Transparency requirements: Weekly publication of VA claims workload data, community care wait times, and monthly appeals processing metrics
• Congressional response deadlines: VA Secretary must respond to Congressional questions within 15-45 business days
• Contract cancellation limits: Mass contract cancellations require 30-day Congressional notification with list of affected veteran-owned businesses
• Mental health support: Mobile Vet Centers must be deployed to agencies that remove more than 5 military-connected employees