Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
Latest action · Jan 14, 2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 24, 2019
- Passed SenateDec 19, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to transmit specified information to the National Practitioner Data Bank and the applicable state licensing board when the VA brings a covered major adverse action against certain appointed VA medical employees. A covered major adverse action is an action originating from circumstances in which the behavior of the employee so substantially failed to meet clinical practice standards that it raised reasonable concern for the safety of patients.
The bill requires the VA to transmit the employee's name and the description of and reason for the covered major adverse action. The VA must also update its credentialing system with a record of covered major adverse actions taken and an indication that information was transmitted as required.
The VA shall enroll certain appointed VA medical employees into a continuous query of their record within the National Practitioner Data Bank and shall implement a mechanism for maintaining and updating the information collected through such query to facilitate the sharing of information between Veterans Integrated Service Networks.
The VA may not enter into a settlement agreement relating to an adverse action by certain appointed VA medical employees under which it would be required to conceal a serious medical error or lapse in generally accepted standards of clinical practice. Such provision shall not apply to a negative record if the VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection and the Office of Special Counsel jointly certify that the negative record is not legitimate.
The bill requires the VA to provide mandatory training to all health staff who handle hiring, privileging, and credentialing, regarding all policies of the VA on credentialing, privileging, and when and how to report adverse actions to the relevant entities.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 24, 2019 to Dec 18, 2019; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | Original | Jan 24, 2019 |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Original | Jan 24, 2019 |
| D-WV | Joe Manchin III | Original | Jan 24, 2019 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Original | Jan 24, 2019 |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Dec 18, 2019 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jan 24, 2019Hearings May 22, 2019Discharged Dec 20, 2019 |
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Dec 23, 2019 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jan 14, 2020 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 14, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Dec 23, 2019Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 23, 2019Received in the House.
- Dec 23, 2019Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Dec 19, 2019Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 19, 2019Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S7229-7230)
- Dec 19, 2019Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- May 22, 2019Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 116-179.
- Jan 24, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Jan 24, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7229Amendments S7218, S7230 | Cory Gardner R-CO (amendment), Joe Manchin III D-WV (amendment), Mitch McConnell R-KY | Dec 19, 2019 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6592 | Cory Gardner R-CO | Nov 14, 2019 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 116-38 | BROKEN PROMISES: ASSESSING VA'S SYSTEMS FOR PROTECTING. VETERANS FROM CLINICAL HARM83 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Oct 16, 2019 |
| S. Hrg. 116-179 | HEARING ON PENDING LEGISLATION159 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | May 22, 2019 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 1271 | In the nature of a substitute. | Cory Gardner R-CO | Amendment SA 1271 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Under Secretary of Health to report major adverse personnel actions involving certain health care employees to the National Practitioner Data Bank and to applicable State licensing boards, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
- Short Titles from RFH (Referred to House) bill text
- Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Employee performance
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Health care quality
- Health information and medical records
- Health personnel
- Licensing and registrations
- Medical ethics
- Personnel records
- Veterans' medical care
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 23, 2019Referred in House
- Dec 19, 2019Engrossed in Senate
- Jan 24, 2019Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
