,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bajg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #i1  
#bjag ,mr4 ,heller 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,manchin7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to require the   
,under ,secretary of ,health to report  
major adverse personnel actions         
involving certain health care employees 
to the ,national ,practitioner ,data    
,bank and to applicable ,state licensing
 boards1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
,provider ,accountability ,act4  #b4    
,accountability within ,veterans ,health
 ,administration  7a7 ,reporting major  
adverse actions to ,national            
,practitioner ,data ,bank and ,state    
licensing boards ,section #gdfa of title
 #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended 
by adding at the end the following new  

subsection3  7f7 ,whenever the ,under   
,secretary for ,health 7or an official  
designated by the ,under ,secretary7    
brings charges based on conduct or      
performance against a section #gdja7a7  
employee and as a result of those       
charges a major adverse action is taken 
against the employee1 the ,under        
,secretary shall1 not later than #cj    
days after the date on which such major 
adverse action is carried out1 transmit 
to the ,national ,practitioner ,data    
,bank and the applicable ,state         
licensing board the name of the         
employee1 a description of the major    
adverse action1 and a description of the
 reason for the major adverse action4  4
  7b7 ,prohibition on signing           
settlements with certain clauses  7#a7  
,in general ,except as provided in      
paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary of       
,veterans ,affairs may not enter into a 
settlement agreement relating to a claim
 by an employee of the ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs under which the      

,department would be required to conceal
 a serious medical error or purge a     
negative record from a personnel file of
 an employee of the ,department4  7#b7  
,exception ,paragraph 7#a7 shall not    
apply to a negative record if the head  
of the ,office of ,accountability and   
,whistleblower ,protection of the       
,department and the ,special ,counsel   
jointly certify that the negative record
 is not legitimate4