Report on emergency management roles for Department of Veterans Affairs

(a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report outlining the roles and responsibilities of all offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs involved with emergency management. (b) Consultation In preparing the report required by subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consult with the Comptroller General of the United States, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and such other Federal agencies as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers relevant, to obtain insights from their experience and trends that they have found, and such recommendations as they may have with respect to the management by the Department of Veterans Affairs of emergency management functions. (c) Contents The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A description of the organizational structure of each office, both during normal operations and during emergency or disaster operations. (2) The roles and responsibilities of each office. (3) A detailed description of roles and responsibilities that are shared by both the Office of Emergency Management of the Department and the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness of the Department, including an analysis of how each office plays a part in emergency management functions. (4) Recommendations for improving the structure and alignment of relevant offices to better prepare the Department for emergencies, remove redundancies, and improve accountability. (5) An analysis of the feasibility and advisability of consolidating relevant offices into one centralized emergency management office to improve communication and streamline emergency preparedness and response efforts of the Department.