H.R. 5932

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5932 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5932

To enhance employee accountability, prevent fraud, strengthen 
whistleblower protections, and modernize disability rating processes in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 7, 2025

Mr. Biggs of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the 
Committees on the Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To enhance employee accountability, prevent fraud, strengthen 
whistleblower protections, and modernize disability rating processes in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Claims Legitimacy and Evaluation 
Accountability Nationwide for VA Act'' or the ``CLEAN VA Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPEDITED PROCEDURES FOR EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABILITY ACTIONS.

(a) Modification of Disciplinary Procedures for Department of 
Veterans Affairs Employees.--Section 714 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``by substantial 
evidence'' after ``the Secretary determines''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
``(3)(A) When making an initial decision under this subsection with 
respect to determining whether a covered individual should be removed, 
demoted, or suspended, the deciding employee of the Department shall 
exclusively apply the following factors:
``(i) The nature and seriousness of the offense, and its 
relation to the covered individual's duties, position, and 
responsibilities, including whether the offense was intentional 
or technical or inadvertent, or was committed maliciously or 
for gain, or was frequently repeated.
``(ii) The covered individual's job level and type of 
employment, including supervisory or fiduciary role, and 
prominence of the position.
``(iii) The covered individual's past disciplinary record.
``(iv) The covered individual's past work record, including 
length of service, performance on the job, ability to get along 
with fellow workers, and dependability.
``(v) Mitigating circumstances surrounding the offense such 
as unusual job tensions, personality problems, mental 
impairment, harassment, or bad faith, malice, or provocation on 
the part of others involved in the matter.
``(B) The Secretary shall review the initial decision and uphold 
such decision if it is supported by substantial evidence.'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1)(D); and
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting before the 
period the following: ``, and the Secretary may carry 
out such a removal, demotion, or suspension without 
first placing a covered individual on a performance 
improvement plan'';
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph:
``(C) Except to the extent that an appeal under this subsection 
presents a constitutional issue, the administrative judge may not 
review a challenge to the penalty imposed against the covered 
individual.'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph:
``(D) Except to the extent that an appeal under this subsection 
presents a constitutional issue, the Merit Systems Protection Board may 
not review a challenge to the penalty imposed against the covered 
individual.'';
(C) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph:
``(C) Except to the extent that an appeal under this subsection 
presents a constitutional issue, such Court may not review a challenge 
to the penalty imposed against the covered individual or mitigate such 
penalty.''; and
(D) by striking paragraph (10); and
(4) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (j).
(b) Timing of Disciplinary Actions.--Section 714 of title 38, 
United States Code, is further amended by inserting after subsection 
(a) (as amended by subsection (a) of this section) the following new 
subsection:
``(b) Timing.--
``(1) The aggregate period for notice, response, and final 
decision by the Secretary of an action under this section may 
not exceed 15 business days.
``(2) The period for the response of a covered individual 
to a notice under subsection (a)(2)(A) shall be 7 business 
days.
``(3) The final decision by the Secretary under subsection 
(a)(1)(B) shall--
``(A) be issued not later than 15 business days 
after notice is provided under subsection (a)(2)(A); 
and
``(B) be in writing and shall include the specific 
reasons for the decision.''.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR VA EMPLOYEE FRAUD AND MISCONDUCT; 
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS AND INCENTIVES.

(a) Enhanced Penalties for Fraud and Misconduct.--
(1) Public money, property, or records.--Section 641 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following: ``If the offense under this section is committed 
by an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, acting in 
an official capacity or using access to veterans' records or 
benefits systems, the term of imprisonment shall be not more 
than 15 years, and any fine imposed shall be not more than 
$500,000. The court shall order mandatory restitution to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Treasury 
for any loss sustained.''.
(2) False statements.--Section 1001 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
``If the offense involves the falsification or concealment of 
material facts related to a claim for veterans' benefits or the 
performance of duties by a Department of Veterans Affairs 
employee, the term of imprisonment shall be not more than 10 
years, and any fine imposed shall be not more than $250,000.''.
(3) Bribery of public officials and witnesses.--Section 201 
of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: ``If the public official is employed by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and the bribe or gratuity 
relates to the processing or awarding of veterans' benefits or 
contracts, the maximum fine shall be twice the amount of the 
bribe or thing of value received, and the term of imprisonment 
shall be not more than 20 years.''.
(4) False statements or fraud to obtain federal employees' 
compensation.--Section 1920 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ``If a person 
convicted under this section is an employee of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs and the fraudulent conduct relates to 
veterans' disability, compensation, or employment benefits, 
such person shall be fined not more than $250,000, imprisoned 
not more than 10 years, and shall forfeit any Federal pension 
or annuity benefits pursuant to section 8312 of title 5.''.
(5) Forfeiture of federal pension and annuity benefits.--
Section 8312 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(e) An individual convicted of an offense under section 641, 
1001, 201, or 1920 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by the 
Claims Legitimacy and Evaluation Accountability Nationwide for VA Act, 
if such individual is an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
and the offense relates to their duties, shall forfeit any entitlement 
to annuity or retired pay under this chapter or chapter 84 of this 
title.''.
(b) Whistleblower Protections and Incentives.--
(1) Expedited retaliation investigations.--Section 2303 of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
``(e) In the case of a retaliation claim involving an employee of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Accountability and 
Whistleblower Protection shall complete investigations within 60 days 
of filing. The Office shall provide written justification to Congress 
for any delay beyond 60 days and shall ensure interim protections 
against reassignment or adverse personnel actions while claims are 
pending.''.
(2) Transparency and oversight of settlements.--The 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall report annually to the 
Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives on the number of whistleblower retaliation 
claims filed, investigated, and settled; the total settlement 
amounts; and whether settlement obligations were fulfilled. The 
Secretary shall publish an anonymized summary of this report on 
the Department's website.
(3) Incentive awards for valid disclosures.--The Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs is authorized to provide monetary awards up 
to $10,000 for substantiated internal disclosures that prevent 
or uncover significant fraud, waste, or abuse valued over 
$100,000. Such awards shall be funded from recovered amounts 
when practicable and shall not be considered compensation for 
pension or benefit purposes.
(4) Independent review and reporting.--The Comptroller 
General of the United States shall review the implementation of 
the provisions of this subsection within 2 years of the date of 
enactment of this Act and submit a report to Congress on the 
timeliness of investigations, settlement compliance, and 
effectiveness of incentive provisions.

SEC. 4. REVIEW OF THE VA DISABILITY RATING SCHEDULE.

(a) Comprehensive Review.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
conduct a comprehensive review of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
schedule for rating disabilities to--
(1) identify vulnerabilities to fraudulent, exaggerated, or 
duplicative claims;
(2) assess whether existing rating criteria accurately 
reflect current medical standards and functional impairment 
measures; and
(3) recommend updates to ensure consistency, integrity, and 
fairness in disability determinations.
(b) Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics 
Tools.--
(1) The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Inspector 
General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
Comptroller General of the United States, develop and implement 
a program utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence 
systems to proactively identify irregularities or high-risk 
indicators within disability claims.
(2) Such systems shall be modeled, to the extent 
practicable, after the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Identification 
and Reporting system utilized by the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services.
(3) All findings generated through automated or algorithmic 
processes shall be subject to human review and validation 
before any administrative or disciplinary action may be taken.
(4) The Secretary shall ensure that the use of such systems 
respects all due process protections and privacy safeguards 
afforded to claimants under Federal law.
(c) Coordination and Oversight.--The Secretary shall coordinate 
with the Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability 
Office to--
(1) evaluate the effectiveness of the tools described in 
subsection (b);
(2) identify risks of over-flagging or under-detection of 
improper claims; and
(3) recommend best practices to ensure balanced oversight 
and prevention of misuse.
(d) Reporting Requirement.--Not later that 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs and Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report detailing--
(1) the results of the review conducted under subsection 
(a);
(2) vulnerabilities identified and corrective measures 
proposed;
(3) the status of data analytics and artificial 
intelligence integration under subsection (b); and
(4) recommendations for further modernization of the 
disability rating process.

SEC. 5. MANDATORY ETHICS AND FRAUD PREVENTION TRAINING.

(a) Requirement for Annual Training.--Subchapter II of chapter 77 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:
``Sec. 7735. Mandatory ethics and fraud prevention training
``(a) Requirement.--The Secretary shall require all employees of 
the Department to complete annual training on ethics, fraud prevention, 
and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
``(b) Oversight.--The Inspector General of the Department shall 
oversee compliance with the training requirement under subsection (a) 
and submit an annual report to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of 
the Senate and House of Representatives on training completion rates 
and any identified deficiencies.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 77 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 7734 the following new item:

``7735. Mandatory ethics and fraud prevention training.''.

SEC. 6. REVIEW OF THE VA DISABILITY RATING SCHEDULE.

(a) Comprehensive Review.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
conduct a comprehensive review of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Schedule for Rating Disabilities to--
(1) identify vulnerabilities to fraudulent, exaggerated, or 
duplicative claims;
(2) assess whether existing rating criteria accurately 
reflect current medical standards and functional impairment 
measures; and
(3) recommend updates to ensure consistency, integrity, and 
fairness in disability determinations.
(b) Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics 
Tools.--
(1) The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Inspector 
General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
Comptroller General of the United States, develop and implement 
a program utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence 
systems to proactively identify irregularities or high-risk 
indicators within disability claims.
(2) Such systems shall be modeled, to the extent 
practicable, after the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Identification 
and Reporting system utilized by the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services.
(3) All findings generated through automated or algorithmic 
processes shall be subject to human review and validation 
before any administrative or disciplinary action may be taken.
(4) The Secretary shall ensure that the use of such systems 
respects all due process protections and privacy safeguards 
afforded to claimants under Federal law.
(c) Coordination and Oversight.--The Secretary shall coordinate 
with the Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability 
Office to--
(1) evaluate the effectiveness of the tools described in 
subsection (b);
(2) identify risks of over-flagging or under-detection of 
improper claims; and
(3) recommend best practices to ensure balanced oversight 
and prevention of misuse.
(d) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs and Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report detailing--
(1) the results of the review conducted under subsection 
(a);
(2) vulnerabilities identified and corrective measures 
proposed;
(3) the status of data analytics and artificial 
intelligence integration under subsection (b); and
(4) recommendations for further modernization of the 
disability rating process.
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