Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6052) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive training developed by the Inspector General of the Department on reporting wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of Inspector General, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 6052.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6052, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021.

The VA's Office of Inspector General performs important oversight and investigations into a broad range of programs and spending by the Department.

Its work informs our committee's own oversight and has often formed the basis of our legislation. However, the Office of Inspector General relies on VA employees as a key source of information.

The better employees are at communicating with the OIG, the more effective the OIG is in carrying out oversight. That is why this bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Underwood and McKinley is so important.

Their bill requires all VA employees to undergo training developed by the OIG relating to reporting wrongdoing, responding to OIG requests, and cooperating with OIG investigations.

This legislation is supported by The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), the brilliant gentlewoman, my good friend, and author of H.R. 6052. She serves on the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 6052, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6052, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021.

The bipartisan VA OIG training act, which I introduced with Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia last fall, is a critical step to promote accountability at VA and ensure our veterans are receiving the world-class care and benefits that they have earned.

This bill requires every current and future VA employee to participate in the VA's OIG training, which will ensure that staff are prepared to report fraud, waste, and patient abuse, and are aware of protections for employees who report wrongdoings.

An assessment of initiatives carried out by VA's OIG found that every dollar spent on oversight yielded a $21 return on investment. Ensuring the OIG can carry out its crucial oversight work will save taxpayer dollars, while also improving care and ensuring that veterans receive every dollar and benefit that they have earned.

My commonsense, bipartisan bill codifies OIG's training requirement, which strengthens the Department's Office of the Inspector General, protects VA employees who report wrongdoing, and most importantly, honors the service and sacrifices of our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act today. I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for their support to advance this legislation.

I also thank Representative McKinley for co-leading the bill with me in the House, and Senators Hassan and Boozman for leading this bipartisan bill in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6052, which requires VA employees to receive training on the work that the VA inspector general does. This training will help VA employees understand how to recognize and report instances of waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as their responsibility to comply with the investigations.

VA's budget request for fiscal year 2023 is over $300 billion. Oversight of this Department's massive budget is a major priority of mine. This commonsense bill would lead to better oversight by informing all VA employees of their responsibility to identify and report fraud, waste, and abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.