H.R. 9446: VA Health Care Capacity Assessment Act

This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to produce a staffing report for VA medical facilities every two years.

What the report would cover

The first report would be due within 180 days after the bill becomes law, and then every even-numbered year by December 31. The report would go to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs.

Each report would assess whether VA medical facilities have enough staffing and resources to meet veterans’ care needs. It would include:

• Whether there are enough health care professionals to support timely access to care.
• Whether there are enough support staff, such as clerks.
• Whether clinical panels are sized appropriately.
• The number of full-time staff, or full-time equivalents, devoted to direct patient care.
• Whether facilities have enough physical space to meet local capacity needs.
• Any other factors the Secretary thinks are important.

Plans and additional data required

If the assessment finds problems, the report would also need to include a plan to fix them and a timeline for doing so.

The report would also have to list current wait times and workload levels for certain clinics at each VA medical facility, including:

• Mental health
• Primary care
• Gastroenterology
• Women’s health
• Any other clinics the Secretary chooses to include

In addition, the report would need to describe:

• The most recent Inspector General findings related to direct appointment authority for VA staffing.
• A plan to use direct hiring authority to fill staffing shortages.
• Recommendations for speeding up credentialing and privileging for health care workers.
• The VA’s current staffing models for the listed clinics, along with suggested changes.

Succession planning and staffing turnover

The bill would require a detailed review of succession planning at VA medical facilities. That review would need to identify:

• How many positions are not filled by permanent employees.
• How long those positions have been vacant or filled temporarily.
• What barriers make positions hard to fill.
• A plan to fill positions that remain vacant or temporary for more than 180 days.
• A plan for handling emergencies, such as sudden leave or administrative leave for senior officials.

The report would also have to include the number of VA health care providers who were removed, retired, or otherwise left their positions over the prior two years, broken down by provider type. For providers who were removed, it would also have to say how many were reassigned, how many left the VA, and how many were later rehired.

Relevant Companies

None found