U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) offered bicameral legislation that aims to bolster the authority of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to hold poor-performing employees accountable.
“While VA employs some of the finest men and women, it only takes a few bad employees to disrupt the culture and service at the VA,” Sen. Moran said on Jan. 16. “Veterans are best served when VA leaders have the ability to act swiftly to remove bad employees from the VA workforce.
“This bill would restore the intent of Congress and help make certain that veterans receive the high-quality care and benefits they’ve earned and VA staff have the healthy workplace they deserve,” he added.
Sen. Moran on Jan. 16 sponsored the Restore Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability Act of 2025, S. 124, with 14 Republican original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Rep. Bost on the same day sponsored the companion bill, the same-named H.R. 472, in the U.S. House alongside 25 GOP cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Buddy Carter (R-GA), and Kat Cammack (R-FL).
“The intent of [Sen.] Moran and I’s bill… is to hold that one percent of bad VA employees accountable,” Rep. Bost said. “We’re going to restore the intent of Congress — and President Trump — by bringing accountability back for good, because America’s veterans deserve to know that the employees who are providing them with the care and services they have earned, are the best and the brightest.”
In 2017, Congress passed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act in response to the nationwide VA access crisis that exposed a toxic workforce culture that negatively impacted veterans’ care, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
The Restore VA Accountability Act would address questionable decisions from the Federal Circuit, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Merit Systems Protection Board that the lawmakers say rendered the authority in the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act unusable for most of the VA workforce.
If enacted, the measure would unlock expedited disciplinary processes for VA employees, ensure that decisions backed by substantial evidence are upheld on appeal, remove the need for a performance improvement plan before disciplinary action, and align accountability processes for poor-performing managers with that of senior executives, the summary says.
“Our veterans answered the call to service,” said Sen. Cassidy. “I expect employees at the VA to at least answer the phone. We hear too many stories of veterans being failed by the VA. It’s time we hold the VA accountable.”
The measure is supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the America’s Warrior Partnership, Concerned Veterans for America, The American Legion, Student Veterans of America, TAPS, and the National Guard Association of the United States.
“Our veterans deserve a Department of Veterans Affairs that works tirelessly on their behalf,” Sen. Blackburn said. “The Restore VA Accountability Act ensures that the VA has the authority it needs to hold employees accountable for misconduct or poor performance, reinforcing the trust our veterans place in this agency.”