Ciscomani Leads Bipartisan Effort to Ensure and Expand Rural Veterans' Access to Nearby Disability Exams, Modernize Process

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced a new 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, the authority is currently only available to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, and psychologists, and expires in January 2026.

Ciscomani’s legislation, the Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act (H.R. 8881), would make the authority permanent and expand the categories of providers who can perform cross-state disability exams. The bill would also require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a mechanism for providers to submit evidence that a veteran brings with them to the examination to the VA, a process which is currently not in place.

“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, whose district is home to over 70,000 veterans. “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 is Ciscomani’s ninth veterans-focused bill he has introduced during his freshman term in Congress. H.R. 8881 builds upon two of the Congressman’s previous efforts, the VET MEDS Act (H.R. 5470) and the Veterans Exam Expansion Act (H.R. 5983). The legislation is supported by 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 it 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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