This enacted law adds several new accountability requirements at the Department of Veterans Affairs. It requires the VA Secretary to personally brief Congress every quarter, for three years, on the department's budget and any funding shortfalls, along with plans to address them. It limits "critical skill" bonus pay for senior executives based at VA's Central Office and adds new approval and annual-reporting requirements for such bonuses paid to other senior staff. The law also creates a new Veterans Experience Office to track veteran satisfaction with VA services and report findings to Congress each year, with that office's authority automatically ending in September 2028 unless renewed. Veterans, VA senior executives, and Congress's oversight committees would all be affected by these changes.
Transparency & Accountability
- VA budget-shortfall reporting — Secretary must brief Congress quarterly for three years
- SES critical-skill incentive pay — Eliminated for senior executives at VA Central Office
- SES incentive-pay reporting — Annual report to Congress required on senior-executive bonuses
- Veterans Experience Office reporting — Annual veteran-satisfaction data required to Congress
- GAO oversight — Comptroller General must review the office's effectiveness within 540 days
- Veterans Experience Office sunset — New office's authority expires September 30, 2028
Congressional Summary
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide quarterly budget briefings to Congress, prohibits the VA from providing specified pay incentives to senior-level employees, and establishes an office to carry out customer service initiatives of the VA.Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025 or the PRO Veterans Act of 2025(Sec. 1) This section requires the VA to provide quarterly budget briefings to Congress, which must include information on any budget shortfalls the VA may be experiencing. The VA must present its plans to address or mitigate shortfalls during such briefings.Next, the section prohibits the 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 in the VA Central Office, regardless of the actual location where the employee performs the functions of the position. Senior-level employees whose positions are primarily in the VA Central Office but perform some portion of their job function based out of non-Central Office VA facilities are eligible for an incentive for their non-Central Office work.The section also provides that an incentive may only be provided to senior-level employees on an individual basis and upon approval by specified officers (e.g., the Under Secretary for Health).The VA must report to Congress annually regarding senior-level employees who were provided a critical skill incentive.Improving Veterans’ Experience Act of 2025(Sec. 2) This section establishes the Veterans Experience Office through FY2028 to carry out the key customer experience initiatives of the VA relating to veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of VA benefits and services.The Government Accountability Office must complete an analysis of and report on the methodology, effectiveness, and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and beneficiaries used by the VA, including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve customer experience and satisfaction.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Public Law
- Action Date
- 2025-08-14
- Date Added
- 2026-07-15
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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