# VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act

The VA has a problem: many of its medical centers across the country are being run by temporary or acting directors instead of permanent ones. Some of these facilities have been without a permanent leader for years. This bill tells the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to fix that situation by creating a plan to hire permanent directors for all VA medical centers that currently lack one.

Here's why this matters. When a medical center keeps cycling through temporary leaders, it's hard to make long-term improvements or plans. Temporary directors are often pulled from other jobs and can only stay for a limited time—usually just 120 days at a stretch—before they have to leave. This constant turnover means nobody's really in charge long enough to tackle big problems, improve services, or make decisions that take time to pay off. Veterans end up getting care at facilities that lack stable leadership, which can affect the quality and consistency of their medical services.

The bill requires the VA to come up with a detailed plan within four months that includes a timeline for hiring permanent directors, identifies what's preventing them from hiring (like salary issues or recruitment challenges), and looks for ways to promote people already working at the VA into these leadership positions. The VA then has to report back to Congress every six months for two years showing which medical centers still don't have permanent directors. Essentially, Congress is saying: "We see the problem, fix it, tell us how you're going to fix it, and then keep us updated on your progress."

VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act

Bost, Mike

VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and implement a plan to hire a director for each VA medical center without a permanent director. Hiring priority shall be given to medical centers that have not had a permanent director for the longest periods.