PRIA Logo™
119-s-3703119th CongressWALLET

Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Husted, Jon [R-OH]

Introduced

Summary

Expand temporary licensure for contract health professionals to increase rural veterans' access to medical disability examinations. This bill would broaden which licensed clinicians can perform Veterans Affairs medical disability examinations under VA contracts and extend the temporary authority through September 30, 2031. It also requires the VA to report to Congress on how the authority was used during the first year.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

More VA disability examiners for veterans

This bill would let more types of licensed clinicians perform VA medical disability exams under VA contracts. To qualify, a clinician would need to be eligible for appointment under 38 U.S.C. 7402(b) and hold a current, unrestricted license. They would also need to not be barred from practicing in any State and to be performing authorized duties under a VA contract. The temporary authority would take effect on enactment and remain in place through September 30, 2031. Within 15 months after enactment, the VA Secretary would report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on use of this authority during the first year, including counts of exams by state and by clinician type, costs, timeliness, legal adequacy, any exams done without proper contracts, and the Secretary's plan to fix errors.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Husted, Jon [R-OH]

OH • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation