“To provide back pay to reinstated employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section entitles any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee—including those serving in a probationary or trial period due to a promotion—who was involuntarily removed and subsequently reinstated or appointed to a VA position between January 20, 2025, and the date of enactment to back pay under the Back Pay Act (5 U.S.C. §5596). (As background, the Back Pay Act compensates federal civilian employees for all or part of pay, allowances, or differentials lost due to an unjustified or unwarranted personnel action, plus reasonable attorney fees and service credit for the affected period.) The entitlement excludes any individual removed from a political position (i.e., Executive Schedule positions under 5 U.S.C. §§5312-5316, noncareer appointees as defined in 5 U.S.C. §3132(a), or confidential/policy-determining Schedule C positions).