VA CLEAR Act of 2019

Department of Veterans Affairs Contract, Leadership, and Ensuring Accountability and Reform Act of 2019 or the VA CLEAR Act of 2019

This bill addresses oversight of financial processes of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and also requires implementation of systems for maintaining specified records.

Among other elements, the bill requires the VA to

• include specified elements in contracts it enters for services (e.g., measurable metrics to ascertain the performance of the provider of the service),
• submit a justification and plan for contracts for services that would incur an obligation of more than $2 billion,
• contract with a third party to review and audit the VA's financial processes and provide recommendations for improvement, and
• submit a justification for requests for supplemental appropriations.

Additionally, the Inspector General of the VA and the Government Accountability Office must complete a review of a contract for services that would result in the VA incurring an obligation of more than $2 billion.

The bill authorizes the Inspector General of the VA, in the performance of the functions assigned to such office, to subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses.

Finally, the bill requires the VA to implement a centralized system to maintain and record completed reviews of administrative investigation boards, and the Veterans Health Administration must implement a centralized system for tracking instances where the VA has referred a clinician to a state's licensing board because of behavior or clinical outcomes.