To deem certain individuals as parents of Department of Veterans Affairs employees for purposes of determining entitlement to certain family and medical leave for such employees.

H.R. 7948 proposes to modify how the Department of Veterans Affairs determines which individuals qualify as parents of VA employees for purposes of family and medical leave entitlements. Currently, federal employees can take family and medical leave to care for parents, but this bill would expand the definition of who counts as a parent under VA policy. This would allow certain individuals who are not biological or legally adopted parents to be recognized as parents for leave purposes.

If enacted, this change would give some VA employees greater flexibility in taking leave to care for individuals they consider parental figures. The practical effect would be that more VA employees could potentially access family and medical leave benefits when caring for these recognized individuals. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and has not yet advanced out of subcommittee hearings.