Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) introduced the Department of Veterans Affairs Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Modernization Act, which would, for the first time in 30 years, increase the amount of money VA is permitted to reimburse clinical employees for continuing professional education expenses.
“Providing allowances to reimburse tuition, course fees, and travel expenses associated with CPE will help make VA a more competitive employer, which is necessary to provide the best care for our veterans who deserve nothing less,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “It is an astonishing disservice to VA healthcare workers, and ultimately to our veterans, that in the past thirty years the allowance for these necessary expenses has not been updated – we can and must do better.”
“Ensuring that our veterans have the best treatment possible at the VA is one of my top priorities in Congress. For too long, the VA has lost out on talented medical staff because of inadequate stipends for those employees seeking to continue their professional development,” said Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. “By increasing the reimbursement amount for clinical employees, we will be able to increase retention and recruitment of medical staff at VA facilities. I am proud to introduce this commonsense legislation with Congresswoman Brownley.”
The VA CPE Modernization Act would:
- Expand the program from only board-certified physicians and dentists to all types of VA clinicians
- Increase the limit for physicians and dentists to $4,000 per year and remove the requirement that only board-certified individuals are eligible for the allowance
- Establish a limit of $2,000 per year for nurses, psychologists, physician assistants, and other types of VA clinicians
- Include a mechanism to allow the Secretary to adjust the annual caps in the future, based on inflation
Read the full text of the bill, here.
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Issues: 117th Congress, Veterans' Affairs