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Department of Veterans Affairs strategic human capital plan

Title VI: Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers · Subtitle D: Optimization of Workforce

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The Department of Veterans Affairs must create and update every year a five-year plan to manage its workforce, addressing staffing needs across its various components like health care and benefits. This plan will analyze current and future demand for services, set recruitment and retention goals, and include strategies to improve productivity and hire veterans and their families. The Department must also report annually to Congress on the plan’s progress and staffing changes, and the Government Accountability Office will review the plan every two years.

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Section Text · Sec. 641.
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(a) In general

Subchapter I of chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

729. Strategic human capital plan

(a) Plan development

(1)

Not later than September 30, 2027, the Secretary shall develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a five-year strategic human capital plan to support the mission and responsibilities of the Department, disaggregated by the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, and such other administrative components of the Department as the Secretary considers necessary to carry out the mission of the Department.

(2)

Not later than September 30, 2028, and each September 30 thereafter, the Secretary shall update the plan developed pursuant to paragraph (1) and extend the plan so that it covers the next period of five fiscal years commencing immediately after the date of the update.

(b) Requirements

(1)

In developing the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall take into account and document current and future projected demand for benefits and services administered by the Department, disaggregated for each component by facility location, facility type, region, administration, program office, the type of benefit or service, and such other categories as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(2)

The Secretary shall develop and update the plan under subsection (a) in consultation with veterans service organizations and such other stakeholders as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(c) Contents

The strategic human capital plan required by subsection (a) shall incorporate leading practices, including the following:

(1)

A workforce gap analysis, including an assessment of—

(A)

the staffing levels of each employee position needed to deliver high quality, accessible, and timely health care, benefits, and other services the Secretary considers appropriate, disaggregated by employee position, facility location, facility type, region, administration, program office, the type of benefit or service, and such other categories as the Secretary determines appropriate;

(B)

how the staffing levels described in subparagraph (A) align with industry best practices in each employee position for the anticipated demand for health care, benefits, and other services described in subsection (b); and

(C)

core competencies, as defined by the Secretary, and the staffing levels needed in each of these core competencies, disaggregated by employee position, facility location, facility type, region, administration, program office, the type of benefit or service and such other categories as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(2)

An implementation plan that includes the following:

(A)

Specific recruitment and retention goals to fulfill the staffing needs identified in the strategic human capital plan and the strategy of the Department to achieve such goals.

(B)

Specific strategies—

(i)

to improve workforce productivity using technological, organizational, behavioral, and such other approaches as the Secretary determines appropriate and productivity measures that are specific to employee positions and the benefits or services they provide; and

(ii)

that are informed by applicable industry best practices.

(C)

Specific strategies for recruiting and retaining veterans, spouses of veterans and members of the Armed Forces, family members of veterans and members of the Armed Forces, caregivers of veterans, and survivors of members of the Armed Forces as employees of the Department.

(D)

Specific goals to reduce the time to hire and onboard employees of the Department and a strategy to achieve such goals, including draft legislative language for any legislative action necessary to achieve such goals, without degradation of—

(i)

necessary background checks; and

(ii)

measures to protect Department customer and employee safety.

(d) Annual updates

Not later than September 30, 2028, and September 30 of each of year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an update on the implementation of the strategic human capital plan developed pursuant to subsection (a), including an assessment by the Secretary of—

(1)

the progress of the Department in implementing the strategic human capital plan;

(2)

the progress of the Department in improving outcomes for veterans and their spouses, dependents, and caregivers through the delivery of high quality, accessible, and timely health care, benefits, and other services the Secretary considers appropriate using results based performance measures;

(3)

changes to projected demand for benefits and services based on new legislative action or other factors, disaggregated for each component by facility location, facility type, region, administration, program office and the type of benefit or service;

(4)

changes to the staffing levels included in the strategic human capital plan, including justifications for such changes, disaggregated by employee position, facility location, facility type, region, administration, program office, the type of benefit or service and such other categories as the Secretary determines appropriate;

(5)

any differentiation between the staffing levels included in the strategic human capital plan and those included in the budget justification materials most recently submitted to Congress in support of the budget of the Department (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31); and

(6)

any differentiation from the Quadrennial Veterans Health Administration review required by section 7330C of this title.

(e) Comptroller General of the United States biennial reviews

Not later than 180 days after the date on which the human capital plan is submitted to the appropriate committees of Congress pursuant to subsection (a), and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall—

(1)

review the strategic human capital plan developed pursuant to subsection (a) and updated pursuant to subsection (d), as the case may be, particularly with respect to the adequacy of the plan to fulfill the mission and responsibilities of the Department; and

(2)

submit to Congress the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1).

(f) Definitions

In this section:

(1)

The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

(A)

the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(B)

the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(2)

The term veterans service organization means any organization recognized by the Secretary under section 5902 of this title.

(b) Clerical amendment

The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 728 the following new item: