To increase accountability and protect employees committed to serving veterans, the U.S. Senate has passed bipartisan legislation called the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act.

The Act aims to give the VA the tools needed to “hold bad actors accountable” by codifying the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at the VA, and mandating the head of the office be selected by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, giving Congress more oversight over accountability at the department.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., co-sponsored the legislation and voted in favor of the bill.

“We owe a great debt to the brave men and women who serve our country, and we have a responsibility to ensure they receive the care, support and assistance they deserve,” Capito said. “This legislation protects our veterans’ best interests, as well as the interests of those who work hard and honestly to assist them.”

She said the legislation will help hold the department and VA facilities across the country accountable to the men and women they serve and will make it easier to ensure our veterans receive the care they need.

Specifically, the Act requires the VA to evaluate supervisors based on the protection of whistleblowers, and requires the VA to provide department-wide training regarding whistleblower complaints once a year.

The Act makes it easier for the VA to remove senior executives by giving the VA secretary additional flexibility in hiring and firing senior executives, as well as removing the Merit Systems Protection Board from the senior executive accountability process, requiring senior executives to appeal directly to the VA secretary under an expedited timeline.

The Act also reduces benefits for employees when they are disciplined or removed for misconduct.

The VA secretary is granted the authority to expedite the removal, demotion or suspension of employees at the VA based on performance or misconduct under the Act. Limits are also placed on the amount of time employees can be placed on paid administrative leave while being investigated.

The Act incentivizes managers to address poor performance and misconduct among employees by requiring the VA secretary to include this as part of the annual performance plan. Bonuses will also be prohibited for employees who have been found guilty of wrongdoing.

The legislation is supported by the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Reserve Officers Association (ROA), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), among others.