Legislation Expanding Veterans Benefits with Boozman-Authored Measures Signed into Law

WASHINGTON-A comprehensive legislative package improving veterans' caregiving programs, mental health support and education benefits that also modernizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was signed into law in early January by President Biden. The Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act includes multiple provisions championed by U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a senior member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the top Republican on the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee.

Boozman's leadership resulted in the bill providing the VA with more tools to compete for highly qualified medical personnel, support training for current and future VA clinicians, ensure better oversight to meets its lawful obligations, require more evaluation of the relationship between VA benefits and suicide outcomes, and guarantee veterans receiving hospice care in a non-VA facility have access to burial benefits.

"We must constantly assess and update the programs veterans and their loved ones rely on while ensuring the VA is providing the support they need. Enacting policies to attract and keep top medical providers caring for them, require adequate management and accountability at VA facilities, spur fresh approaches to the veteran suicide crisis and more is a significant bipartisan achievement. I'm honored to have helped craft parts of this landmark law and the commitment it represents to those who have served our country," Boozman said.

Boozman-authored or cosponsored measures incorporated in the legislative package include:

Sections of the VA Clinician Appreciation, Recruitment, Education, Expansion, and Retention Support (CAREERS) Act, to:

• Modernize the VA's antiquated pay system for physicians and other high-level clinicians, which will particularly benefit rural and other hard-to-hire markets;
• Increase and fine-tune the VA's workforce data reporting requirements to help the VA and Congress be better informed on how to improve the hiring and onboarding process for future employees enterprise wide.
• Update VA's pay stipulations to include optometrists, expanding the coverage of certain rules and benefits to optometrists as well;
• Authorize the VA to waive pay limitations for the recruitment or retention of critical health care personnel, with a priority for certain positions, locations, and contracted care;
• Authorize the VA to have flexibility in compensating specified professionals, including the ability to pay awards, recruitment or relocation bonuses, retention allowances, incentives or bonuses, and earning from fee-basis appointments; and

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center Absence and Notification Timeline (VACANT) Act, to:

• Limit the detailing of medical center directors to different positions within the VA; and
• Require the VA Secretary to ensure a plan is in place to fill vacant medical center director positions within 180 days of detailing.

The Not Just a Number Act, to:

• Require the VA to examine veterans' benefits usage in its annual suicide prevention report in order to evaluate the relationship between VA benefits and suicide outcomes;
• Require the VA to analyze which benefits have the greatest impact on preventing suicide; and
• Require the Department to issue recommendations for expansion of those benefits in the fight to combat veteran suicides.

Gerald's Law Act, to:

• Expand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) burial benefits eligibility to terminally ill veterans who pass away at a non-VA facility while receiving hospice care.

The VA OIG Training Act of 2023, to:

Provide training to VA employees on reporting waste, fraud and abuse in coordination with the VA Office of the Inspector General (VA OIG), which serves veterans and the public by conducting meaningful independent oversight of the VA.

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