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This bill would sharply limit special pay bonuses called “critical skill incentives” for top-level managers at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In general, employees in senior executive roles at VA headquarters, including the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, and National Cemetery Administration, would no longer be allowed to receive these incentives. For some senior leaders working outside headquarters, the bonuses could still be given, but only in individual cases, with higher-level approval and not as group awards. The bill also requires the VA to report each year to Congress on who received these incentives.
- Senior executives working at VA Central Office would be barred from receiving critical skill incentives, even if they sometimes work elsewhere.
- Senior executives not based at Central Office could still receive these incentives, but only one person at a time, not as a group award.
- Giving a bonus would need approval from several top VA officials, such as the leaders of benefits, health, memorial affairs, human resources, management or finance, accountability, whistleblower protection, and the general counsel.
- If a senior executive works partly at Central Office and partly at other VA facilities, any bonus tied to work done outside Central Office would have to be reduced based on the amount of time spent at those other locations.
- The VA Secretary would also have to send Congress a yearly report listing senior executive employees who received these bonuses.
Official Summaries
Stop Government Rewards Enriching Executives in the District Act of 2025 or the Stop GREED Act of 2025
This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from providing certain senior level employees with a critical skill incentive, which is generally a payment bonus for employees possessing a high-demand skill or skill that is at a shortage. Specifically, the VA may not provide such an incentive to an employee in a Senior Executive Service position or other comparable position at the central office of the VA (e.g., the Veterans Health Administration), regardless of the actual location where the employee performs the functions of the position.
The bill also provides that an incentive may be provided to senior-level employees on an individual basis and upon approval by specified officers (e.g., the Under Secretary for Health). Additionally, senior-level employees whose positions are primarily at the central office of the VA but perform some portion of the job function at other VA facilities are exempt from the prohibition.
The VA must report to Congress annually regarding senior-level employees who were provided a critical skill incentive.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 396 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 396
To amend title 38, United States Code, to impose limitations on the
provision of critical skill incentives to employees of the Department
of Veterans Affairs in Senior Executive Services positions, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 4, 2025
Mr. Moran (for himself and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to impose limitations on the
provision of critical skill incentives to employees of the Department
of Veterans Affairs in Senior Executive Services positions, and for
other purposes.
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 ``Stop Government Rewards Enriching
Executives in the District Act of 2025'' or the ``Stop GREED Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON PROVISION OF INCENTIVES FOR CRITICAL SKILLS TO
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Section 706(d) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(7)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B)(ii), a critical skill
incentive may not be provided under paragraph (1) to an employee of the
Department employed in a Senior Executive Service position, or a
position in another comparable system for senior-level Government
employees, as defined by the Secretary, whose position is at the
Central Office of the Department, including the Veterans Health
Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National
Cemetery Administration, regardless of the actual location where the
employee performs the functions of the position.
``(B)(i) A critical skill incentive provided under paragraph (1) to
an employee of the Department employed in a Senior Executive Service
position, or a position in another comparable system for senior-level
Government employees, as defined by the Secretary, not described in
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph may only be provided--
``(I) on an individual basis and may not be provided to a
group of such employees; and
``(II) upon approval of the following officers or those
serving in an acting capacity:
``(aa) The Under Secretary for Benefits, the Under
Secretary for Health, or the Under Secretary for
Memorial Affairs.
``(bb) The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources
and Administration.
``(cc) The Director of the Office of Management or
the Chief Financial Officer.
``(dd) The Assistant Secretary for Accountability
and Whistleblower Protection.
``(ee) The General Counsel.
``(ff) Such other officers as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
``(ii) In the case of an employee of the Department employed in a
Senior Executive Service position, or a position in another comparable
system for senior-level Government employees, as defined by the
Secretary, whose position is primarily at the Central Office of the
Department, but who performs some portion of the employee's job
function at other facilities of the Department, as defined by the
Secretary, not at Central Office--
``(I) the employee shall not be considered described in
subparagraph (A) with respect to the portion of the employee's
job function that is based out of non-Central Office facilities
of the Department; and
``(II) any critical skill incentive provided under
paragraph (1) to the employee for the portion of the employee's
job function that is based out of facilities of the Department
other than the Central Office shall be proportionate to the
time spent at those Department facilities.
``(C)(i) Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
the Stop Government Rewards Enriching Executives in the District Act of
2025, and not less frequently than once each year thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives an annual report on the employees of the Department
employed in a Senior Executive Service position, or a position in
another comparable system for senior-level Government employees, as
defined by the Secretary, who were provided a critical skill incentive
under paragraph (1).
``(ii) Reports submitted pursuant to clause (i) may be submitted by
incorporating their contents into other congressionally mandated
reports to the committees described in such clause.
``(D) In this paragraph, the term `Senior Executive Service
position' has the meaning given such term in section 3132(a) of title
5.''.
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