{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1066-115/featured_va-management-alignment-act-of-2017-1509740181.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1066-115/featured_large_va-management-alignment-act-of-2017-1509740181.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1066-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-02-15","title_override":"Should the VA Have to Report to Congress on its Organizational Structure to Improve Care for Vets?","summary_override":"

This bill would require the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide Congressional committees with a report regarding the roles, responsibility, and accountability of elements and individuals of the VA. The report would include recommendations for legislation, and utilize the results of several recent studies and reports in making changes to improve the VA’s management structure and how it delivers care to veterans. It would be due within 180 days of the bill’s enactment.

Specifically, the VA would utilize the results of:

The Independent Assessment of the Health Care Delivery Systems and Management Process of the VA established by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014;
Any study or report by the Commission on Care established by the above legislation;
Other studies or reports, including a report titled \"Task Force on Improving Effectiveness of VHA Governance: Report to the VHA Under Secretary for Health,\" dated February 28, 2015.

The VA would also be required to establish clearly delineated roles and responsibilities to optimize the organizational effectiveness and accountability of each:

Administration, staff office, or staff organization and each subordinate organization thereof;
Key leader of the VA in relation to any Administration, staff office, or staff organization, Veteran Integrated Service Network, or medical facility.

","official_title":"To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report regarding the organizational structure of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.","short_title":"VA Management Alignment Act of 2017","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)\n\nVA Management Alignment Act of 2017\n\n (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report (including recommendations for appropriate legislation) regarding the roles, responsibility, and accountability of elements and individuals of the VA.\n\nIn creating such report, the VA shall utilize the results of:\n\n the Independent Assessment of the Health Care Delivery Systems and Management Process of the VA established by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014; any study or report by the Commission on Care established by such Act; and other studies or reports, including a report titled \"Task Force on Improving Effectiveness of VHA Governance: Report to the VHA Under Secretary for Health,\" dated February 28, 2015. The VA shall ...","summarized":true,"cost":500000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2018-2022 period.","impact":"The Dept. of Veterans Affairs; and Congress.","argument_for":"It’s no secret that the mismanagement at the VA led to lengthy wait times for veterans seeking care, and in some cases delays led to their deaths. This bill forces the VA move forward with fixing its organizational structure so that doesn’t happen in the future.","argument_against":"The VA’s organizational structure doesn’t need a makeover to avoid the mismanagement pitfalls of the past. The existing structure works fine, there’s just a need for more funding.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1066-115","bill_id":"hr1066-115","formal_id":"H.R. 1066","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2017-11-07T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2017-11-07T00:04:21.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/1066","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr1066rfs/html/BILLS-115hr1066rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1066-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/1066/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2017-11-07","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":403,"committees":[{"name":"Economic Opportunity","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR10","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Health","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR03","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Veterans' Affairs","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Veterans' Affairs","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSVA","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1066-115","details":"/api/bills/hr1066-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1066-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1066-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1066-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":10,"slug":"hr1066-115-va-management-alignment-act-of-2017","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr1066-115","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2944,"yea_vote_count":2234,"nay_vote_count":701,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["defense"],"issue_ids":["defense"],"sponsor_id":130}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"defense","name":"Defense","slug":"defense","description":"Federal legislation related to Defense spending, the active duty military, intelligence activities, war powers and veterans’ care. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"US Armed forces and Defense related Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/black_defense-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/grey_defense-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/defense/white_defense-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Paul","vote_count":29,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10156035640969662/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10156035640969662/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10156035640969662/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10156035640969662/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8ZkEGA69/following","followers":"/api/users/8ZkEGA69/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":10,"is_following":null,"influence_score":60,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":2,"following_count":0,"position_count":28,"id":"8ZkEGA69","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"24b155b2-85df-42f0-af5d-8db9e9ef1623","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"Nope. I don’t trust congress for some odd reason. I think Congress will have a change of heart if men and women stop showing up to defend our country soon enough. That should get the message across.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/24b155b2-85df-42f0-af5d-8db9e9ef1623"},"body":"Nope. I don’t trust congress for some odd reason. I think Congress will have a change of heart if men and women stop showing up to defend our country soon enough. That should get the message across.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2017-11-07T06:01:50.059Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/24b155b2-85df-42f0-af5d-8db9e9ef1623.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr1066-115","user_id":"8ZkEGA69","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Should the VA Have to Report to Congress on its Organizational Structure to Improve Care for Vets?