Bill · S. 1533· Senate(119-S-1533)
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to make permanent and codify the pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations, and for other purposes.
- Introduced
- 4/30/2025
- Last activity
- 7/30/2025 — Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Sponsored by
- Jerry Moran
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill makes permanent the use of contract physicians to perform medical disability examinations for benefit applicants. It allows the Under Secretary for Benefits to hire people other than Department employees via contracts to conduct these exams. The bill permits these health care professionals to conduct exams in any state, regardless of local licensure laws, as long as they meet specific professional requirements. It also requires the Secretary to create a way for these contractors to send new and material medical evidence to the Secretary. Finally, it terminates a previous pilot program and requires a report to Congress in three years regarding cost, timeliness, and thoroughness.
Yes· 3 of 17
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?+8
Directly increases efficiency and accessibility of disability exams for veterans.
Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive?+7
Streamlines the medical examination process required to obtain veteran disability benefits.
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?+5
Improves the ability to get the medical evidence needed for benefit approval.
The opposite
Does this leave more decisions to the states?-4
Bypasses state-specific licensure laws for healthcare professionals.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Access to Examinations: By allowing the use of persons other than Department employees to perform exams (Section 5103B(a)(1)), the government may have more providers available to conduct disability exams.
-
Flexibility in Location: Health care professionals can conduct examinations at any location in any state (Section 5103B(b)(1)), which could potentially make it easier for applicants to be seen.
-
Better Evidence Handling: The requirement for a mechanism to transmit new and material medical evidence introduced during an exam (Section 5103B(d)) could ensure that important medical information reaches the Secretary.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Licensure Overrides: The bill allows contract health care professionals to conduct examinations "notwithstanding any provision of law regarding the licensure of health care professionals" in any state (Section 5103B(b)(1)), which bypasses state-specific licensure laws.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Veterans+8Good For People With Disabilities+5Good For Retirees+4Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Seniors+4Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Business Owners+1
- Healthcare
- Improves Veterans Healthcare+5Improves Healthcare Access+3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Veterans Benefits+7
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Disability Rights+4Improves Poverty Reduction+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+2Improves Small Business Support+1
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+3Improves Due Process+2Improves Government Transparency+2Increase States Rights-4
- 7/30/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 5/21/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-86.
- 4/30/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Angus KingIndependent · Maine