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Advancing Department of Veterans Affairs emergency response to crisis

Title IV: Organization

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The Department of Veterans Affairs must submit a report detailing the roles and responsibilities of its emergency management offices, including recommendations for improving coordination and possibly consolidating these offices. Additionally, the Department must report on the challenges and legal limitations related to sharing fuel and resources with the Federal Emergency Management Agency during emergencies, and whether congressional action is needed to improve coordination and resource sharing.

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Section Text · Sec. 405.
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(a) Report on emergency management roles for Department of Veterans Affairs

(1) In general

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report outlining the roles and responsibilities of all offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs involved with emergency management.

(2) Consultation

In preparing the report required by paragraph (1), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consult with the Comptroller General of the United States, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense, and such other Federal agencies as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers relevant, to obtain insights from their experience and trends that they have found, and such recommendations as they may have with respect to the management by the Department of Veterans Affairs of emergency management functions.

(3) Contents

The report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A)

A description of the organizational structure of each office, both during normal operations and during emergency or disaster operations.

(B)

The roles and responsibilities of each office.

(C)

A detailed description of roles and responsibilities that are shared by both the Office of Emergency Management of the Department and the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness of the Department, including an analysis of how each office plays a part in emergency management functions.

(D)

Recommendations for improving the structure and alignment of relevant offices to better prepare the Department for emergencies, remove redundancies, and improve accountability.

(E)

An analysis of the feasibility and advisability of consolidating relevant offices into one centralized emergency management office to improve communication and streamline emergency preparedness and response efforts of the Department.

(b) Plan to allow fuel sharing and increased coordination between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, after consulting with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report regarding—

(1)

the current limitations preventing the Federal Emergency Management Agency from providing fuel or other resources to the Department of Veterans Affairs during emergencies;

(2)

whether the Department requires action by Congress to allow such resource provision to occur;

(3)

whether the Secretary has been unable to coordinate with the Administrator during prior emergencies or Fourth Mission activations due to a lack of authority for such coordination;

(4)

whether the Secretary requires action by Congress to address any of the issues mentioned under paragraph (3); and

(5)

whether the Secretary requires action by Congress to address the issue of Department employees or responders being unable to use Department-purchased fuel.