House lawmaker joins effort to improve VA health care

Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to bolster the medical workforce at understaffed Veterans Affairs Department facilities.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced a bill Monday that expands VA’s training programs to produce more mental health professionals, as well as marriage and family therapists.

The bill, called the Delivering Opportunities for Care and Services (DOCS) for Veterans Act, incentivizes new talent to work in VA centers located in undeserved areas of the country. It requires that physician assistants in VA facilities receive competitive pay that matches salaries at non-VA jobs in the same labor market.

“We need to take a big-picture approach on issues that have plagued the VA for decades and were further compounded by the failure of Congress to adequately fund the VA as a new generation of veterans — my generation — returned from service with unique needs,” Gallego said in a statement announcing the legislation. “While bipartisan reform efforts have been an important first step in addressing inexcusable backlogs and getting our veterans the care they need now, I know that real and lasting reform means going further.

The bill, in part, looks to address the massive appointment backlog at VA centers. On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affair Committee’s economic opportunity subcommittee held a hearing to examine the VA’s current system of on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs.

“This bill will take needed steps to bringing the VA into the 21st century and equipping it with the tools it badly needs to be able to successfully serve our veterans,” Gallego said.

Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) cosponsored the DOCS for Veterans Act. 

The legislation serves as a companion to a measure introduced by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in June. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has held hearings on the bill, but it has not yet been introduced on the floor.

“Workforce shortages have plagued the VA for years and have reduced veterans’ access to quality medical care,” Tester said in July. These ideas came from folks in the veterans and medical communities and will help address the shortage of doctors at the VA so we can honor our commitment to these brave men and women.”

Gallego’s bill also calls on the VA to conduct a two-year pilot program that would set up a a nurse-advice hotline to provide veterans with medical advice, appointment and cancellation services in rural areas with a large percentage of veterans 

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