To improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire and retain physicians and other employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] This bill includes directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of the Under Secretary for Health. The bill provides that the pay for medical directors and directors of networks shall consist of base pay and market pay. Market pay shall consist of pay intended to reflect the recruitment and retention needs for the assignment of a particular director. The requirement that the VA consult with two or more national surveys in making a general determination of market pay for physicians and dentists, or with a panel or board in making such determination for a specific physician or dentist, is eliminated. The annual determination of VHA staff shortages shall include shortages for five clinical and five non-clinical occupations for each network. (Such determination currently includes the five occupations for which there are the largest VA-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience. Veterans federal employment preference provisions are amended to: (1) make al…