Health care staffing at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be upgraded under a bipartisan bill introduced on Sept. 6 by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
“For too long, the VA has struggled to recruit and retain frontline health care providers, further exacerbating the issues already plaguing the VA system,” Sen. Tillis said.
The Veterans Health Care Staffing Improvement Act, S. 3417, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), is the U.S. Senate version of the same-named H.R. 6539, introduced on July 26 by U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR). Four Democratic senators joined Sen. Tillis as original cosponsors of the Senate bill.
Specifically, the measure would require the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the VA’s efficiency in recruiting and hiring health care workers who are undergoing separation from the Armed Forces and to establish uniform credentialing standards for certain VA health care professionals, among other purposes, according to the congressional record summary.
Existing policies make the recruitment and retention of VA medical staff difficult, according to a Sept. 6 statement from Sen. Tillis’ office. In turn, veterans currently must wait weeks or even months to get appointments at many VA health centers across the United States, according to the statement.
The proposal would reduce bureaucratic barriers and create a streamlined process for transitioning military service members “to bring their invaluable training and experience to the VA, which will make it easier for VA facilities across the nation to provide our veterans with the high quality care they need and deserve,” said Sen. Tillis.
If enacted, the bill would establish a Docs-to-Doctors Program to provide the VA with a large pool of trained medical staff by easing the process for them to directly transfer into the VA system, and would simplify processes for transferring or sharing medical staff and services across VA facilities, according to a summary of the bill provided by Tillis’ staff.
Sen. Merkley said, “Long wait times put our veterans’ health in jeopardy and are simply unacceptable. It’s common sense to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.”
Additionally, the proposal would require the VA Secretary to create uniform credentialing rules for medical professionals across the Veterans Health Administration, a provision supported by Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the American Legion, and the Military Officers Association of America.
“DAV has long advocated for Congress and federal departments to work with state and local governments, employers, trade unions, and licensure and credentialing entities, to establish a clear process so that military training meets civilian certification and licensure requirements and allows veterans to take their vocational certifications and training directly into the civilian sector once they leave military service,” said Garry Augustine, executive director of DAV’s Washington headquarters.
If enacted, Augustine said the measure would “eliminate employment barriers for military healthcare workers, allowing them to continue serving their fellow citizens by utilizing their top-notch vocational training without delay.”
Brett Reistad, National Commander of the American Legion, noted that “veterans from medical occupational fields should be able to count their military service and experience when transitioning to the civilian health care workforce.”
“This bill, as currently written, is good for our veterans and good for America,” Reistad added.
- 3417 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. H.R. 6539 remains under review by both the U.S. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.