Veteran Infection Prevention Act

New certification and scholarships for VA technicians

If enacted, this bill would require most sterile processing technicians in the Veterans Health Administration to be certified by an accredited training institution. To hold most VHA sterile processing technician jobs, you would need to get that certification no later than two years after your appointment. The Secretary could exempt positions the Secretary designates as entry-level. For people already in these jobs on the enactment date who are not certified (called covered employees), the certification rule would apply two years after enactment. The bill would also create a scholarship program to pay for the required certification for covered employees. If you accept a scholarship, you would have a two-year obligated service period that begins the day you receive the certification, notwithstanding 38 U.S.C. § 7672(e).