Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3951 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3951

To amend the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 and the Johnny 
   Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits 
Improvement Act of 2020 to improve the temporary licensure requirements 
 for contract health care professionals who perform medical disability 
  examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2025

Mr. Ciscomani (for himself, Ms. Perez, and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 and the Johnny 
   Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits 
Improvement Act of 2020 to improve the temporary licensure requirements 
 for contract health care professionals who perform medical disability 
  examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Veterans' Improved Access to 
Benefits Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO TEMPORARY LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACT 
              HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WHO PERFORM MEDICAL DISABILITY 
              EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Expansion.--Section 504 of the Veterans' Benefits Improvements 
Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note), as amended by 
paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of section 2002 of the Johnny Isakson 
and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement 
Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note), is further 
amended, subject to the sunset in paragraph (4) of such subsection, by 
striking paragraph (2) of subsection (c) and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Health care professional described.--A health care 
        professional described in this paragraph is a person who is 
        eligible for appointment to a position in the Veterans Health 
        Administration covered by section 7402(b) of title 38, United 
        States Code, who--
                    ``(A) has a current and unrestricted license to 
                practice the health care profession of the health care 
                professional;
                    ``(B) is not barred from practicing such health 
                care profession in any State; and
                    ``(C) is performing authorized duties for the 
                Department pursuant to a contract entered into under 
                subsection (a).''.
    (b) Delayed Sunset of Amendment.--Paragraph (4) of subsection (a) 
of section 2002 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans 
Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315; 
38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by striking ``On the date that is five 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act'' and inserting ``On 
January 5, 2031''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (2) of such subsection is 
amended by striking ``physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, 
audiologists, and psychologists'' and inserting ``health care 
professionals''.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 15 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives a report regarding the use of the authority under 
section 504 of the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public 
Law 104-275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note), as temporarily amended by section 
2002(a)(1) of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health 
Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315; 38 
U.S.C. 5101 note) and this section. Such report shall include, with 
respect to the one-year period after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the following elements:
            (1) The number of examinations conducted pursuant to a 
        contract under such authority.
            (2) The cost, timeliness, and legal adequacy of such 
        examinations, disaggregated by--
                    (A) health care professional; and
                    (B) contract.
            (3) The number of such examinations conducted in each 
        State, the District of Columbia, or a Commonwealth, territory, 
        or possession of the United States.
            (4) The numbers of each kind of health care professionals 
        who conducted such examinations.
            (5) The number of examinations that were erroneously 
        conducted by a health care professional--
                    (A) without such a contract; or
                    (B) unauthorized to enter into such a contract.
            (6) The plan of the Secretary to correct errors in the use 
        of such authority.
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