House Passes Miller’s VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act

9/14/2016

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 5620, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016, legislation introduced by Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller. The bill passed by a vote of 310–116.

The legislation would give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs expanded authority to fire or demote senior executives for poor performance, with an expedited appeal process — seven days to file, sixty days for a decision. It creates a new Senior Executive Disciplinary Appeals Board, allows the department to recoup bonuses, and strengthens whistleblower protections.

The bill also modernizes the appeals process for disability claims, addressing a backlog that has grown to more than 450,000 pending appeals.

The measure now goes to the Senate.