Senator’s new bipartisan legislation is supported by leading veterans support organizations
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced a bipartisan bill today with Republican Senator Marco Rubio that prohibits unlicensed medical providers from performing medical disability examinations on behalf of the VA.
“Our veterans have earned the highest quality care, and it’s unacceptable for the VA to deliver anything less. Our legislation protects veterans from unlicensed medical providers and helps ensure they receive disability examinations from providers they can trust,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Last year, reports revealed that contract physicians with revoked medical licenses were performing medical disability examinations on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Better Examiner Standards and Transparency for Veterans Act, or BEST for Vets Act, would prohibit all unlicensed providers from examining veterans on behalf of the VA.
The BEST for Vets Act is supported by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans.
Sinema has led the fight in Congress for Arizona’s veterans. While in the U.S. House, Sinema cosponsored the VA MISSION Act, which is now law. The VA MISSION Act eliminates barriers to care for veterans who do not live near a VA facility or who require timely or specialty medical care. Sinema has also led the effort to reform the VA with legislation including the VA Accountability Act and VA Choice Act, both of which were signed into law. Additionally, Sinema worked with the family of Sgt. Daniel Somers, an Arizona veteran who lost his life to suicide, to introduce and successfully pass into law the Sgt. Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act which ensures veterans who serve in a classified capacity can get private counseling from the VA.