Personnel requirements for Department of Veterans Affairs

(a) Exemption from hiring freeze The Department shall be exempt from any hiring freeze issued by the President, the Secretary, or the Director of the Office of Personnel Management during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on January 20, 2029. (b) Reinstatement of veterans With respect to any veteran (as that term is defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code) who was a career employee of the Department and whom the Secretary removed from employment with the Department during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (1) reinstate such veteran to the position (or equivalent position) such veteran occupied on the date that is one day before the date of removal; and (2) exempt such veteran from separation under any reduction in force that occurs before January 20, 2029. (c) Limitation on layoffs (1) In general The Secretary shall submit written notice, to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate, not later than 15 days before the date that the Department will remove any officer or employee under a reduction in force or an agency reorganization. (2) Probationary employees (A) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no employee of the Department in probationary status may be removed from a position at the Department without the enactment into law after the date of the enactment of this section, with express reference to this section, permitting such removal. (B) Notification The Secretary shall submit to Congress— (i) on the date the Secretary removes a probationary employee for poor performance, a report that includes the reasons for the removal, the employee’s most recent performance appraisal, and the removal notice submitted to the employee; and (ii) not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every 30 days thereafter, a list of any probationary employees at the Department that received a removal notice during the period covered by the report.