Tucson Standard

U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced a bipartisan effort to ensure veterans have permanent, cross-state access to certified health care providers for required disability claim exams.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 allowed certain exam providers to temporarily practice across state lines; however, this authority is currently limited to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, and psychologists and is set to expire in January 2026.

Ciscomani’s legislation, the Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act (H.R. 8881), aims to make this authority permanent and expand the categories of providers who can perform cross-state disability exams. The bill also mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) establish a mechanism for providers to submit evidence that a veteran brings with them to the examination.

“The VA’s temporary authority for license portability has proven to be successful in expediting our veterans’ disability claims, specifically for our rural veterans, which is why I am proud to introduce a bipartisan effort to solidify the provision,” said Ciscomani. “Red tape should not stop our veterans from accessing care when and where they need it, whether that means crossing state lines or crossing the street.”

This marks Ciscomani’s ninth veterans-focused bill during his freshman term in Congress. H.R. 8881 builds upon two of his previous efforts: the VET MEDS Act (H.R. 5470) and the Veterans Exam Expansion Act (H.R. 5983). The legislation has garnered support from organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

“The VFW strongly supports this bill that would permanently authorize contracted medical professionals to perform VA disability examinations regardless of their state of licensure,” said Nancy Springer, Associate Director of the VFW. “The resulting increase in eligible providers would benefit all veterans by accelerating the initial stage of the disability claims process but would particularly assist rural and tribal veterans who often have few medical options near their homes. The VFW applauds Congressman Ciscomani for introducing this bill and calls for its swift passage.”

Congressman Ciscomani is joined on the bill by his colleagues Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03), Scott Franklin (R-FL-18), Don Davis (D-NC-01), Jerry Carl (R-AL-01). Full text of the bill is available here.

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