In the nature of a substitute.

This amendment changes the bill to protect regular order for budgeting at the Department of Veterans Affairs and holds officials accountable by requiring regular check-ins and reports. It aims to add new oversight rules and create a dedicated office to focus on how veterans experience the services they have earned.

Here is what the amendment specifically adds and changes:

• Quarterly Briefings on Budget Shortfalls: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must give in-person briefings to specific congressional committees every quarter for three years. If the Department is facing a shortfall where the money needed is more than what the President requested in the budget, the Secretary must present a plan to fix it.

• Limits on Senior Employee Bonuses: It places strict rules on giving critical skill incentives to Senior Executive Service employees at the Central Office. It bans these bonuses for most central office senior staff, sets up a strict multi-officer approval process for others, and requires annual reports on who receives these incentives.

• Establishment of the Veterans Experience Office: It creates a new "Veterans Experience Office" within the Department, led by a Chief Veterans Experience Officer appointed by the Secretary. This office is tasked with tracking customer satisfaction, collecting feedback directly from veterans, advising the Secretary on websites and customer service, and submitting annual data reports to Congress. This new office is set to expire on September 30, 2028.

• Comptroller General Review: The Comptroller General must complete an analysis of how the Department and the new office measure customer satisfaction and report the findings back to congressional committees.