U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) cheered the recent passage of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which is now headed to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.
“For years, problems at the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) have prevented our nation’s veterans from getting the high-quality of care they deserve,” Shimkus said in a press release. “The legislation the House passed today is an important step in ensuring the VA is held accountable.”
The bill will make it easier for the VA to hold employees accountable for misconduct and poor performance, while also protecting whistleblowers from being targeted under these eased processes. The bill creates efficient channels for VA employees to be removed, demoted and suspended. Employees who are in the midst of a whistleblower case, however, are not subject to these processes.
“These necessary and common-sense reforms are long overdue,” Shimkus said in the release. “I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together to create a culture of accountability at the VA, as well as President Trump and Secretary (of Veterans Affairs David) Shulkin for pushing for these critical reforms.”
Veterans also benefited recently from $4 billion in additional funding from the House Appropriations Committee, the release said. The money will go toward mental health services, homeless veterans’ programs and suicide prevention initiatives, according to the press release.
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