VA Health Care Capacity Assessment Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9446 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9446

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report biennially on
 staffing of medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2026

  Mr. Takano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report biennially on
 staffing of medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Health Care Capacity Assessment
Act''.

SEC. 2. BIENNIAL REPORT ON STAFFING OF MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and not later than December 31 of each even-
numbered year thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House
of Representatives a report assessing the staffing of each medical
facility of the Department.
    (b) Elements.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall
include the following elements:
            (1) The results of a system-wide assessment of all medical
        facilities of the Department to ensure the following:
                    (A) Appropriate staffing levels for health care
                professionals to meet the goals of the Secretary for
                timely access to care for veterans.
                    (B) Appropriate staffing levels for support
                personnel, including clerks.
                    (C) Appropriate sizes for clinical panels.
                    (D) Appropriate numbers of full-time staff, or
                full-time equivalents, dedicated to direct care of
                patients.
                    (E) Appropriate physical plant space to meet the
                capacity needs of the Department in the area.
                    (F) Such other factors that the Secretary
                determines necessary.
            (2) A plan for addressing any issues identified in the
        assessment under paragraph (1), including a timeline for
        addressing such issues.
            (3) A list of the current wait times and workload levels
        for the following clinics in each medical facility:
                    (A) Mental health.
                    (B) Primary care.
                    (C) Gastroenterology.
                    (D) Women's health.
                    (E) Such other clinics that the Secretary
                determines appropriate.
            (4) A description of--
                    (A) the results of the most current determination
                of the Inspector General under subsection (a) of
                section 7412 of title 38, United States Code; and
                    (B) a plan to use direct appointment authority
                under subsection (b) of such section to fill staffing
                shortages, including recommendations for improving the
                speed at which the credentialing and privileging
                process can be conducted.
            (5) The current staffing models of the Department for the
        following clinics, including recommendations for changes to
        such models:
                    (A) Mental health.
                    (B) Primary care.
                    (C) Gastroenterology.
                    (D) Women's health.
                    (E) Such other clinics that the Secretary
                determines appropriate.
            (6) A detailed analysis of succession planning at medical
        facilities of the Department, including the following:
                    (A) The number of positions in medical facilities
                throughout the Department that are not filled by a
                permanent employee.
                    (B) The length of time each position described in
                subparagraph (A) remained vacant or filled by a
                temporary or acting employee.
                    (C) A description of any barriers to filling the
                positions described in subparagraph (A).
                    (D) A plan for filling any positions that are
                vacant or filled by a temporary or acting employee for
                more than 180 days.
                    (E) A plan for handling emergency circumstances,
                such as administrative leave or sudden medical leave
                for senior officials.
            (7) The number of health care providers of the Department
        who have been removed from their positions, have retired, or
        have left their positions for another reason, disaggregated by
        provider type, during the two-year period preceding the
        submission of the report.
            (8) Of the health care providers specified in paragraph (7)
        who have been removed from their positions, the following:
                    (A) The number of such health care providers who
                were reassigned to other positions in the Department.
                    (B) The number of such health care providers who
                left the Department.
                    (C) The number of such health care providers who
                left the Department and whom the Secretary subsequently
                rehired.
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