Bipartisan Stefanik bill would address VA doctor hiring backlog

Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Friday would enable the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recruit resident physicians earlier to correct a hiring backlog.

Under current law, the VA is required to wait to recruit resident doctors until they have completed their residency programs. The Get Veterans a Doctor Now Act, H.R. 5501, would eliminate that provision and allow the VA to extend conditional job offers to doctors up to two years prior to graduation.

“This important legislation will help make sure our heroes get the care they deserve,” Stefanik said. “In my district, the Samuel S. Stratton VAMC alone has over 28,000 enrolled patients with an average wait time of 11.25 days for a primary care appointment. This legislation will allow the VA to recruit on an even playing field with the private sector, providing more doctors to care for these North Country heroes.”

The bill, which was introduced by Stefanik and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), aims to enable the VA to compete with the private sector to recruit the nation’s best doctors.

“There are more than 43,000 unfilled medical positions at the VA,” O’Rourke said. “This prevents the VA from providing quality care that our veterans have earned. The sooner we can hire more qualified doctors to see our veterans, the better.”