WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced the bipartisan Veterans Health Administration Caregiver Retention and Eligibility Determination Act—legislation strengthening accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs by requiring VA medical professionals to be properly credentialed.
“Arizona veterans rely on the VA for critical health care. Our bipartisan legislation ensures VA medical professionals are qualified to provide the high standard of care Arizona veterans have earned,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Sinema’s bipartisan bill creates adequate safeguards to ensure Arizona veterans are not treated by health care providers whose licenses have been revoked or surrendered.
Sinema partnered with a bipartisan group of Senators asking the Veterans Health Administration to outline steps they will take to ensure an annual credentialing training for staff members who review credentials. The Sinema-backed bipartisan bill codifies the requirement for VHA to outline uniform credentialing standards and protocols and require initial and annual training for staff members.
Sinema’s legislative action comes in response to this year’s report from the Government Accountability which found a lack of uniform policies, standardized procedures and periodic, mandatory training for the credentialing process.
