[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5938 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5938

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

                            October 12, 2023

Mr. Ciscomani (for himself and Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick) introduced the 
                             following bill

                            October 25, 2023

             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 ``Veterans Exam Expansion Act of 
2023''.

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.--
            (1) In general.--Section 504(c)(2) 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 ``or psychologist'' both places it appears and 
        inserting ``psychologist, podiatrist, dentist, or 
        optometrist''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Paragraph (2) of such subsection 
        is amended by striking ``and psychologists'' and inserting 
        ``psychologists, podiatrists, dentists, and optometrists''.
    (b) Extension.--Section 2002(a)(4) 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 
``three years'' and inserting ``five years''.
    (c) 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 by subsection (a). 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 number of such examinations conducted in each 
        State, the District of Columbia, or a Commonwealth, territory, 
        or possession of the United States.
            (3) The numbers of each kind of health care professionals 
        who conducted such examinations.
            (4) 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.
            (5) The plan of the Secretary to correct errors in the use 
        of such authority.
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