On June 23, 2017, President Trump signed into law the “VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017,” designed to enhance whistleblower protections, lowering the standard from a “preponderance of evidence” to “substantial evidence” of retaliation before the secretary of the VA can take action. The law further allows the VA to take back bonuses paid to employees found guilty of misconduct and prohibits employees who are appealing discipline from being placed on paid administrative leave. The Act focuses on placing a higher standard of accountability upon executives, rather than rank-and-file workers.
President Trump proclaimed that the law represents one of the biggest reforms to the VA in a generation, and promised further steps to transform the VA “until the job is done.”