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HR 7683

VA Fiscal Management Modernization Act

119th Congress Introduced by Jack Bergman

The bill designates the VA CFO, creates a dedicated Legislative and Congressional Budget Information Office, and expands financial leadership to modernize budgeting and oversight.

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
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Bill Summary · HR 7683

Summary of H.R. 7683 — VA Fiscal Management Modernization Act

Session: 119th Congress | Introduced February 25, 2026 | Sponsor: Rep. Bergman (co-sponsor)

Purpose
- To clarify and expand the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office responsible for management and financial affairs, by redesignating the department’s financial leadership role as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and reforming organizational structure and appointment authority related to financial management.

Key Provisions

1) Redesignation and duties of the Chief Financial Officer
- Rewrites Section 309 of Title 38 to designate the VA Assistant Secretary for Management as the Department’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
- Expanded duties of the CFO include:
- Advising the Secretary on financial management.
- Formulating, justifying, and executing the VA budget.
- Controlling, accounting for, auditing, and reporting on VA finances.
- Exercising authority and functions specified in Section 902 of Title 31 (Antideficiency Act-related provisions).
- Ensuring compliance with antideficiency and related budgeting/appropriations statutes (Sections 1341-1342, 1349, 1350, and 1511-1519 of Title 31).
- Providing budget/financial information to Congress on request.
- Serving as head of the VA Office of Management.

2) Office structure and new offices under the Office of Management
- Creates the Deputy Assistant Secretaries for:
- Financial Strategy and Budget.
- Financial Operations and Internal Controls (career Senior Executive Service appointment).
- Establishes an Office of Management.
- Establishes a Legislative and Congressional Budget Information Office (LCBI Office) within the Office of Management.
- The LCBI Office’s sole function is to provide accurate, timely, and certified information about the VA’s finances and budget to Congress.
- The Chief Financial Officer appoints the head of the LCBI Office.
- Cap on staff: no more than 15 full-time employees (FTEs), including supervisors, assigned to the LCBI Office.

3) Expanded Deputy Secretary count
- Increases the number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries (DAS) within the VA from 19 to 21.

4) Financial employees and appointment limitations
- Adds a new statutory section (§729) for "Employees with certain financial authority" who report exclusively to the CFO.
- Defines eligible employees as those in high-level financial positions (e.g., chief financial officer roles within VA Administrations or Veterans Integrated Service Networks or positions with substantially similar duties).
- Prohibits these financial authority employees from performing programmatic or operational functions in the VA.
- Sets an appointment limitation to prevent creating positions whose function mirrors the LCBI Office; i.e., cannot create a position outside the LCBI Office whose function is substantially similar to LCBI’s budget-information function.

5) Implementation timeline
- Requires the VA Secretary to implement the amendments within 180 days after enactment.

What Changes and Who Is Affected

  • Structural changes: Elevates the CFO role and expands the Office of Management; creates a dedicated LCBI Office to provide congressional budget information.
  • Staffing changes: Adds two Deputy Assistant Secretaries focused on financial strategy/budget and on financial operations/internal controls; sets a capped LCBI staff size.
  • Governance/oversight: Tightens delineation between financial management roles and programmatic/operational VA functions; strengthens reporting to Congress on finances and budget.
  • Affects VA leadership, budget office, financial management staff, and any staff designated under the new CFO-related positions and LCBI Office.

Procedural/Timeline Considerations

  • If enacted, VA must implement changes within 180 days.
  • The bill expands statutory authorities and creates new offices, which would require organizational realignment, staffing actions, and potential regulatory updates.

Overall Impact

  • Aims to modernize VA fiscal management by clarifying budgeting and financial governance, enhancing oversight and transparency to Congress, and improving internal control by creating dedicated leadership and an information office focused on budget data.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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