H.R. 3951: Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025

This bill, titled the Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, aims to enhance the process for hiring contract health care professionals who perform medical disability examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Here are the key points of the legislation:

1. Objective

The primary goal of this bill is to improve access to benefits for rural veterans by streamlining the temporary licensure requirements for health care professionals working with the VA.

2. Changes to Temporary Licensure Requirements

The bill proposes the following modifications to existing laws:

• Expansion of Eligible Professionals: It defines eligible health care professionals broadly, including those who hold current and unrestricted licenses to practice and are not barred from providing their services in any state.
• Removal of Specific Titles: The language referring to specific titles such as “physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, and psychologists” will be changed to simply “health care professionals.” This generalization is intended to widen the pool of eligible professionals.

3. Extension of Sunset Provision

The bill seeks to delay the expiration of the temporary licensure provisions, changing the sunset date to January 5, 2031. This will allow the provisions to remain in effect for a longer period, giving more time for evaluation and adjustment.

4. Reporting Requirements

Within 15 months after the bill's enactment, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must submit a report to Congress detailing:

• The total number of examinations conducted under the contract authorities.
• Cost, timeliness, and legal adequacy of these examinations, categorized by health care professional and type of contract.
• The number of examinations conducted in various states and regions.
• The types of health care professionals who conducted the examinations.
• Instances of erroneous examinations, either conducted without contracts or by unauthorized professionals.
• A plan from the Secretary on how to correct any identified errors in the contracting process.

5. Purpose of the Bill

The overarching aim of these changes is to increase the availability of medical evaluations needed by veterans in rural areas, helping to ensure they receive the benefits due to them in a more efficient manner.

Relevant Companies

None found.