Bill Details

HR.657 - 119th Congress

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Status
  1. Introduced
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. To President
  5. Law
Latest action
2025-03-04 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Introduced Date
2025-01-23
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Committees
View committees (1)
8
0

AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.

This bill would update the rules for paying back Department of Veterans Affairs health care workers for the cost of continuing education. It keeps the reimbursement at up to $2,000 per year for certain full-time VA medical staff and lets the VA raise that amount in the future if needed, as long as it never falls below $2,000 a year. The goal is to help VA health care professionals keep their skills and licenses up to date.

  • The bill covers full-time VA health care workers such as doctors, dentists, podiatrists, nurses, physician assistants, psychologists, licensed practical or vocational nurses, medical technologists, diagnostic radiologic technologists, and social workers.
  • Each eligible person could be reimbursed for up to $2,000 a year in continuing professional education expenses.
  • The VA Secretary would be allowed to adjust the reimbursement amount over time, but the yearly amount could not be set lower than $2,000.

Official Summaries

Department of Veterans Affairs Continuing Professional Education Modernization Act or the VA CPE Modernization Act

This bill modifies the program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reimburses certain full-time health care professionals for continuing professional education expenses.

Under current law, only board-certified physicians and dentists are eligible for such reimbursement. The bill expands the program to require reimbursement for various specified full-time health care professionals (e.g., registered nurses) and increases the amount available for a physician or dentist. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that an individual be board-certified to receive reimbursement.

The VA may adjust the amount of the reimbursement, so long as the adjustment does not result in a reimbursement of less than $2,000 per year for each specified position.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 657 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 657

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the reimbursement of 
      continuing professional education expenses for health care 
          professionals of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 23, 2025

  Ms. Brownley (for herself, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Ms. Tlaib, and Mr. 
Jackson of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the reimbursement of 
      continuing professional education expenses for health care 
          professionals of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Continuing Professional Education Modernization Act'' or the ``VA CPE 
Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO REIMBURSEMENT OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL 
              EDUCATION EXPENSES FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Reimbursement.--Section 7411 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 7411. Reimbursement of continuing professional education 
              expenses
    ``(a) Reimbursement.--The Secretary shall reimburse certain full-
time health care professionals of the Department for expenses incurred 
for continuing professional education in amounts as follows:
            ``(1) With respect to any physician, dentist, podiatrist, 
        registered nurse, or physician assistant appointed under 
        section 7401(1) of this title, not more than $2,000 per year 
        for each such individual.
            ``(2) With respect to any psychologist, licensed practical 
        or vocational nurse, medical technologist, diagnostic 
        radiologic technologist, or social worker appointed under 
        section 7401(3) of this title, not more than $2,000 per year 
        for each such individual.
    ``(b) Adjustment.--The Secretary may from time to time adjust the 
dollar amounts specified in subsection (a), so long as such adjustment 
does not result in a reimbursement of less than $2,000 per year for 
each individual specified in subsection (a).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 74 of such title is amended by striking the item relating to 
section 7411 and inserting the following new item:

``7411. Reimbursement of continuing professional education expenses.''.
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