News/Action Alerts

VA Nurse Retention Bill Signed into Law

On January 11, 2002 the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act (HR 3447) was presented to President Bush. The bill was signed into law by the President on January 23rd. ANA strongly supports this bill which contains many important VA nurse provisions.

This legislation will:

• Modify and make permanent the VA Employee Incentive Scholarship Program and Debt Reduction Program;
• Require a report on the use of mandatory overtime by licensed nursing staff and nursing assistants in each facility;
• Make clarifications to the nurse locality pay authorities in order to allow surveys of salaries other than beginning rates of pay;
• Give VA nurses enrolled in the Federal Employee Retirement System the same ability to use unused sick leave as part of the retirement year calculation that VA nurses enrolled in the Civilian Retirement System have;
• Provide Saturday premium pay to title 5/title 38 hybrids;
• Require the VA to develop a nationwide policy on staffing standards to ensure that veterans are provided with safe and high quality care. Such staffing standards must consider the numbers and skill mix required of staff in specific medical settings;
• Exempt registered nurses from the requirement that part-time service performed prior to April 7, 1986, be prorated when calculating retirement annuities;
• Require a report on VA's use of authority to request waivers of the pay reduction for re-employed annuitants;
• Require an evaluation of nurse-managed clinics, including primary care and geriatric clinics; and
• Require a report on VA's nurse qualification standards.

Return to Government Affairs.