Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3951, the Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, as amended.

There are few things we on both sides of the aisle agree on completely, and I am happy to report this bill highlights one of them.

Veterans in rural areas deserve the same access to care that someone living near a VA facility in a large city does. Rural populations are particularly vulnerable because of unreasonable travel distances for appointments, especially specialists.

For some veterans, this can be a reason to delay or forgo routine exams or care, later resulting in poorer health outcomes. We hear many stories of veterans who have appointments scheduled hours away, requiring them to secure transportation, which can often be difficult. We have also heard incredibly frustrating stories of these same appointments being canceled or rescheduled at the last minute.

What does that mean for our veterans and their families? It can mean rescheduling childcare, leave, work, transportation, as well as other appointments they may have grouped together for ease and convenience. It also means that any follow-up appointments begin the cumbersome cycle all over again.

We should not tolerate rural veterans being treated as secondary purely because of their location. They should have the same access to care that other veterans have in more densely populated areas.

The Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act attempts to rectify part of this problem by expanding license portability, allowing practitioners to perform exams for veterans across State lines.

At a time when medical professionals in many specializations are particularly difficult to access at the VA, it is vital that we ease access to these practitioners where possible.

This bill mandates a report regarding the number of exams completed through this license portability agreement. This data will surely prove beneficial in highlighting communities with greater needs for care.

We will continue to work to ensure all veterans get access to the care they need, whether it be through legislative levers like this or continued efforts of outreach and advocacy.

I am thankful to all of those who worked on this effort to ensure that no one is left behind. I support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3951, the Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3951) to amend the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 and the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 to improve the temporary licensure requirements for contract health care professionals who perform medical disability examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3951, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3951, introduced by my colleague Representative Ciscomani from Arizona.

This bill would extend the license portability authority for contracted medical professionals conducting compensation and pension examinations for veterans until 2031. These exams are a vitally important part of going through the VA benefits process.

Veterans living in rural or underserved areas often need to travel far distances for their exams. Veterans in my district know this hurdle firsthand and the impact it can have on dragging out the timeline for them to receive their disability benefits.

Congress created the authority to expand the net for qualified, contracted medical professionals. By ensuring more contracted medical professionals can perform these exams, veterans would have greater access to their benefits closer to home.

Under current law, license portability only applies to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, and psychologists. This bill would expand that authority to include even more providers who are eligible for employment at the VA to perform medical disability examinations. This is a necessary expansion to the VA's exam programs to get even more qualified people serving veterans.

I thank Representative Ciscomani for his leadership on this bill and his efforts to increase access to disability benefits for our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3951, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3951, the Rural Veterans' Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025.

This bipartisan bill aims to ensure rural veterans have access to quality and timely physician examinations so that they are able to receive the care they are entitled to, regardless of where they live.

This legislation does this by permanently allowing VA providers to perform cross-State disability exams and expanding the pool of providers who can perform medical disability examinations for the VA to include all licensed healthcare professionals.

These changes will help to address the shortage of qualified examiners in rural areas, specifically thereby reducing wait times and increasing the timely release of benefits to our veterans.

I have witnessed firsthand the challenges rural veterans in Arizona's Sixth Congressional District face in getting their medical exams completed in a timely manner.

This bill takes an essential first step toward eliminating these regional healthcare disparities and ensures that all veterans receive the quality care they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 3951. We owe it to our servicemen and -women to make this commitment to timely healthcare access.