The House has been moving quickly on some bills designed to reform human resources procedures within the VA.
Legislation designed to enhance recruitment and retainment strategies at the VA was passed by the House today. This comes after the House passed legislation yesterday that would make it easier to fire VA employees for misconduct or poor performance.
The bill (H.R. 1367) was introduced by Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH). Wenstrup says the legislation is needed because the VA’s inability to retain quality employees is hindering providing care for veterans.
Among other things, the bill would create a recruiting database to make potential employees aware of positions at VA, and it would create opportunities for career training and advancement for current VA employees through fellowship positions and a promotional track for technical experts.
House VA Committee Chairman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) said in a statement:
Providing the top-notch health care and benefits our nation’s veterans deserve is impossible without a strong workforce. H.R. 1367 would improve VA’s ability to recruit and retain the very best providers to treat our nation’s heroes, and I thank Rep. Wenstrup for his leadership on this important legislation.
