The INNOVATE Act establishes a new Office of Innovation within the Veterans Health Administration to develop and test new health care technologies and services for veterans. The bill adds innovation as a fifth official mission of the VHA alongside its existing missions of providing health care, supporting research, training medical professionals, and emergency response. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs gains authority to hire up to 250 specialized employees outside normal civil service rules, pay them competitive salaries up to the level of the President's annual compensation, and work with private companies, academic institutions, and other government agencies on innovation projects. The legislation creates a separate Veterans Health Care Innovation Acceleration Fund with open-ended authorization for appropriations that remain available for five years, and authorizes the VA to enter into partnerships with outside entities to access VA assets like data and facilities, offer advance purchase guarantees for new technologies addressing veteran health needs, and use flexible contracting methods for research and development deals up to ten million dollars. The Secretary must report annually to Congress on hiring and fund usage, and must implement these changes within 120 days of the law's enactment.
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