(February
1, 2011)
In
order to further improve the lines of communication and to respond to the
concerns between the National VA Council and you our members, I have
established a National VA Council Briefing. This NVAC Briefing will bring you
the latest news and developments within DVA and provide you with the current
status of issues this Council is currently addressing. I believe that this
NVAC Briefing will greatly enhance the way in which we communicate and the way
in which we share new information, keeping you better informed.
Alma
L. Lee
National
VA Council, President
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AFGE
NATIONAL VA COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 112th CONGRESS
SUMMARY
I.
More
accountability for VA spending practices (including investigation of VHA and
VBA executive bonuses, VISH growth and PACT Medical Home Model
implementation);
II.
Compliance with
personnel provisions in recent health care legislation (including employment
rights for P/T nurses and limits on mandatory overtime) and benefits
legislation (supervisor skills certification test and overhaul of work credit
system);
III.
Equal rights
and fair treatment for all VA employees (equal Title 38 bargaining rights,
appeal rights for terminated Canteen employees, equal veterans preference
appeal rights for vets working in VA health care);
IV.
Veterans’
Employment: In source all contracted out entry level VA jobs
(cemetery caretaker, VHA laundry and food service, housekeeping and
maintenance) and prohibit future outsourcing; Update list of set aside jobs
for disabled veterans; Expand veterans preference rights to reassignment and
promotion; Improve data collection;
V.
VA appointment
of permanent Under Secretaries for VBA and NCA urgently needed.
VI.
Halt unfair
downgrades of VHA patient support employees: NVAC is very concerned
about national and VISN-level reports of proposed downgrades of VHA employees.
These employees play an essential role in the operation of the VA Health-Care
System and they should not be downgraded. The far better option for
ensuring a strong VHA workforce to take care of veterans; offering these
employees a decent career ladder. NVAC has already approached the VA to
attempt to resolve this issue. We urge lawmakers to contact OPM and the
VA regarding the status of the downgrades and other options for addressing the
needs for a strong VHA workforce. The rumor that VA Police Officers are
going to be downgraded is not true in accordance to Mr. Freddie Jackson,
Director of Security and Law Enforcement.
MORE
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VA SPENDING
o
Investigate
why, despite advance appropriations funding for VA health care for FY 2011, a
number of VISNs are implementing hiring caps;
o
Investigate
harmful trend in both VHA and VBA to expand their already top heavy workforce
with new management layers while front line staff struggle to provide direct
health care and benefits services;
o
Investigate
explosive growth in budgets and staff at VA’s 21 VISN offices.
o
Investigate
lack of adequate front line staff for PACT, TeleHealth and other new VHA
initiatives;
o
Investigate
management bonuses VACO and all VA agencies; Revisit 400% bonus increase (now
up to $100K!)for nurse execs and $40K for pharmacy execs in Caregiver Act.
REDUCING
THE VBA BACKLOG
·
VBA supervisors
need more skills and experience to mentor and conduct quality assurance;
Implement of supervisor skills certification test is long overdue;
·
Improve
national coordination of VB A pilot programs to ensure that best practices are
captured when programs go national;
·
Investigate
growing number of terminations of VBA employees, including number of veterans
among the recent hires who are terminated before they are adequately trained.
COMPLIANCE
WITH RECENT PERSONNEL LEGISLATION
·
Expedite
compliance with part-time nurse, nurse overtime, loan assistance and
alternative work schedule provisions in P.L. 111-163 and P.L. 108-445.
·
Expedite
implementation of supervisor skills certification provisions and work credit
provisions in P.L. 110-389.
EQUAL
EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS FOR VA EMPLOYEES:
BARGAINING
RIGHTS: Amend 38 USC §7422 to restore Congressional intent to provide Title
38 health care professionals with the same rights to bargain over indirect
patient care, peer review and compensation matters as Hybrid Title 38 VA
clinicians, and DOD and BOP clinicians. It is time to hold VHA accountable for
its failure to comply with statutory rights related to fair pay, safe
schedules, EEO, workers comp, and unfair labor practices.
CANTEEN
EMPLOYEES: Enact legislation to provide Veterans Canteen Service employees
appointed under Section 7802 with full appeal and remedy rights under 5 USC
Chapters 71 and 75. Investigate use of Canteen employees to fill non-Canteen
positions in VA medical centers.
VETERANS
PREFERENCE PROTECTIONS FOR VA HEALTH CARE EMPLOYEES: Extend coverage of the
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, including MSPB and DOL appeal rights
for violations of veterans’ preference, to Hybrid and pure Title 38
employees.
HYBRID
TITLE 38 PERSONNEL SYSTEM: Conduct
oversight of the Hybrid Title 38 hiring timeframes, human resources personnel
costs, and consistency and fairness of appointments and promotions for Hybrid
positions.
VA
PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS
·
Oversee of the
implementation of the physician and dentist pay provisions in P.L. 108-445;
·
Investigate
impact of VA “24/7” regulation on recruitment and retention of VA
physicians and dentists, and quality and safety of patient care;
·
Enact
legislation to require that VA issue nationally uniform performance pay
criteria based only on, individual achievement, and not facility-wide factors
beyond the provider’s control.
·
Enact
legislation to keep the VA competitive with other health care employers by
increasing the annual amount of continuing medical education reimbursement.
·
Revisit
Caregiver Act provision exempting physician and dentist executives from peer
market pay panels required by PL 108-445.
VA
OUTSOURCING HURTS PATIENT CARE AND VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
·
Implement
Inspector General recommendations to improve controls over VHA’s fee basis
program;
·
Monitor wrap up
of Project HERO and plans for use of HERO “lessons learned”;
·
Investigate
credentialing requirements for contract nurses, physicians and other contract
providers;
·
Reintroduce
legislation to improve Physician Assistant employment opportunities for
military medics and corpsmen who wish to transition to civilian employment in
the VA;
·
Require that
every NCA entry level job (e.g. mowing and trimming, headstone setting) be set
aside for disabled veterans. In-source back into NCA every contractor entry
level job. Apply this to new and existing NCA sites;
·
Expedite the
development of VA’s in-sourcing plan, and evaluate its impact on veterans’
job opportunities.
VETERANS
PREFERENCE: 21ST CENTURY OVERHAUL NEEDED
·
Ease the
transition of medics and military corpsmen to Hybrid Title 38 and pure Title
38 positions;
·
Extend coverage
of the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, including appeal rights, to all
hybrid and pure Title 38 employees;
·
Extend
veterans’ preference laws to reassignments and promotions;
·
Update and
expand the list of restricted positions for preference eligible’s through
legislation and/or regulation;
·
Improve OPM
data collection on agency veteran employment policies;
·
Expand training
for federal hiring officials to increase compliance with veterans’
preference and improve rating of military experience; Provide Title 38
guidance for crediting military service.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MARILYN PARK, AFGE NATIONAL VA COUNCIL LOBBYIST
(202)
639 6456 or email: mpark@afge.org).