VA Care Act Locks In Union Contracts Until 2025, Nullifies Two Labor Executive Orders

The newly proposed VA Care and Benefits Accountability Act is short, but it packs a punch for anyone working at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or interested in federal labor relations. Essentially, this legislation does two things: it guarantees the immediate survival of existing VA union contracts, and it wipes two specific Executive Orders off the map.

The Contract Guarantee: Stability for VA Employees

Section 2 of the bill is designed to provide immediate stability for the VA workforce. It states that any collective bargaining agreement—that’s the fancy term for a union contract—currently in effect at the VA on March 26, 2025, must remain fully valid until its original end date. Think of a VA nurse, a hospital administrator, or a janitor whose pay, hours, or working conditions are governed by a union contract. This bill ensures that those agreements can’t be prematurely canceled or altered. If a contract was set to expire in 2027, it still expires in 2027, regardless of any future changes in policy. This is a big win for certainty, ensuring that the rules governing thousands of VA employees don’t suddenly change mid-agreement.

Wiping the Slate Clean: Nullifying Executive Orders

Section 3 gets straight to the point: it cancels two specific Executive Orders, EO 14251 and EO 14343, as they relate to the VA. The bill explicitly states that these orders have “no legal effect” concerning the VA. While the text doesn’t detail what those EOs did, they generally relate to federal labor-management relations. By nullifying them, this bill is essentially reversing recent executive actions that may have sought to change how the VA interacts with its employee unions. Furthermore, the bill bans the use of any federal funds to enforce or implement those canceled orders within the VA. For the average VA employee, this means the labor rules they currently operate under are protected from these specific executive changes.

Real-World Impact: Certainty in a Changing Landscape

For the thousands of people who work at the VA—from doctors and claims processors to maintenance staff—this bill translates directly into job stability and predictable working conditions. If you’re a VA employee covered by a union contract, you don't have to worry that a new policy will suddenly change your grievance procedures or shift your pay scale next month. The rules are locked in until the contract expires. This move provides a clear benefit to labor organizations and their members by affirming the integrity of their negotiated agreements, providing a clear boundary against executive actions that might seek to restrict their current bargaining rights or operational processes.