,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bbgi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #aj1 
#bjae ,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,rounds1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1  
,mr4 ,warner1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 
and ,mr4 ,tester7 introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require the ,secretary of ,veterans     
,affairs to carry out a program to      
increase efficiency in the recruitment  
and hiring by the ,department of        
,veterans ,affairs of health care       
workers that are undergoing separation  
from the ,armed ,forces1 to create      
uniform credentialing standards for     
certain health care professionals of the
 ,department1 and for other purposes4   
#a4 ,short title  ,this ,act may be     
cited as the ,veterans ,health ,care    
,staffing ,improvement ,act4  #b4       
,program to increase efficiency in the  
recruitment and hiring by the           

,department of ,veterans ,affairs of    
health care workers undergoing          
separation from the ,armed ,forces  7a7 
,program ,the ,secretary of ,veterans   
,affairs shall1 in coordination with the
 ,secretary of ,defense1 carry out a    
program to recruit individuals who are  
undergoing separation from the ,armed   
,forces and who served in a health care 
capacity while serving as a member of   
the ,armed ,forces4 ,the program shall  
be known as the ,docs-to-,doctors       
,program4  7b7 ,sharing of information  
7#a7 ,submittal of list ,for purposes of
 carrying out the program1 not less     
frequently than once per year 7or a     
shorter period that the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs and the ,secretary of
 ,defense may jointly specify71 the     
,secretary of ,defense shall submit to  
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs a  
list of members of the ,armed ,forces1  
including the reserve components1 who-- 
7,a7 served in a health care capacity   
while serving as a member of the ,armed 

,forces2  7,b7 are undergoing or have   
undergone separation from the ,armed    
,forces during the period covered by the
 list2 and  7,c7 will be discharged from
 the ,armed ,forces under honorable     
conditions1 as determined by the        
,secretary of ,defense1 or have been    
discharged from the ,armed ,forces under
 honorable conditions during the period 
covered by the list4  7#b7 ,use of      
occupational codes ,each list submitted 
under paragraph 7#a7 shall include      
members of the ,armed ,forces who were  
assigned a ,military ,occupational      
,specialty code1 an ,air ,force         
,specialty ,code1 or a ,united ,states  
,navy rating indicative of service in a 
health care capacity4  7#c7 ,information
 included ,each list submitted under    
paragraph 7#a7 shall include the        
following information1 to the extent    
such information is available to the    
,secretary of ,defense1 with respect to 
each member of the ,armed ,forces       
included in such list3  7,a7 ,contact   

information4  7,b7 ,rank upon separation
 from the ,armed ,forces4  7,c7 ,a      
description of health care experience   
while serving as a member of the ,armed 
,forces and other relevant health care  
experience1 including any relevant      
credential1 such as a certificate1      
certification1 or license1 including the
 name of the institution or organization
 that issued the credential4  7#d7      
,consultation with ,secretary of        
,homeland ,security ,in submitting each 
list under paragraph 7#a71 the          
,secretary of ,defense shall consult    
with the ,secretary of ,homeland        
,security with respect to matters       
concerning the ,coast ,guard when it is 
not operating as a service in the ,navy4
  7c7 ,resolution of barriers to        
employment  7#a7 ,in general ,in        
carrying out the program1 the ,secretary
 of ,veterans ,affairs shall1 in        
coordination with the ,secretary of     
,defense1 work to resolve any barriers  
relating to credentialing or to specific

 hiring rules1 procedures1 and processes
 of the ,department of ,veterans        
,affairs that may delay or prevent the  
hiring of individuals who are undergoing
 separation from the ,armed ,forces and 
who served in a health care capacity    
while serving as a member of the ,armed 
,forces1 including by reconciling       
different credentialing processes and   
standards between the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs and the ,department  
of ,defense4  7#b7 ,report ,if the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs        
determines that a barrier described in  
paragraph 7#a7 cannot be resolved under 
such paragraph1 the ,secretary shall1   
not later than #ij days after the       
discovery of the barrier1 submit to     
,congress a report that includes such   
recommendations for legislative and     
administrative action as the ,secretary 
considers appropriate to resolve the    
barrier1 including any barrier imposed  
by a ,state4  7d7 ,treatment of         
applications for employment ,an         

application for employment in the       
,department of ,veterans ,affairs in a  
health care capacity received by the    
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs from a 
member or former member of the ,armed   
,forces who is on a list submitted to   
the ,secretary under subsection 7b7     
shall not be considered an application  
from outside the work force of the      
,department for purposes of section     
#cccj of title #e1 ,united ,states      
,code1 and section #cce4aje of title #e1
 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7as in  
effect on the date of the enactment of  
this ,act71 if the application is       
received not later than one year after  
the separation of the member or former  
member from the ,armed ,forces4  #c4    
,uniform credentialing standards for    
certain health care professionals of the
 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7 
,in general ,subchapter ,,ii of chapter 
#gd of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by inserting after section  
#gdbc the following new section3        

#gdbc;,a4 ,personnel administration3    
uniform credentialing process  7a7      
,uniform process ,the ,secretary shall  
implement a uniform credentialing       
process for employees of the ,veterans  
,health ,administration for each        
position specified in section #gdba7;b7 
of this title4  7b7 ,recognition        
throughout ,administration ,if an       
employee of the ,administration in a    
position specified in section #gdba7;b7 
of this title is credentialed under this
 section for purposes of practicing in a
 location within the ,administration1   
such credential shall be deemed to be   
sufficient for the employee to practice 
in any location within the              
,administration4  7c7 ,renewal  7#a7    
,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71  
the ,secretary may provide for the      
renewal of credentials under this       
section pursuant to such regulations as 
the ,secretary may prescribe for such   
purpose4  7#b7 ,renewal of credentials  
under this section may not be required  

solely because an employee moves from   
one facility of the ,department to      
another4  4  7b7 ,clerical amendment    
,the table of sections at the beginning 
of chapter #gd of such title is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to 
section #gdbc the following new item3   
#gdbc;,a4 ,personnel administration3    
uniform credentialing process4  4  7c7  
,effective date ,the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs shall implement the  
uniform credentialing process required  
under section #gdbc;,a of such title1 as
 added by subsection 7a71 not later than
 one year after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act4  #d4 ,provision 
of full practice authority for advanced 
practice registered nurses1 physician   
assistants1 and other health care       
professionals of the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,full practice  
authority ,the ,secretary of ,veterans  
,affairs shall provide full practice    
authority to advanced practice          
registered nurses1 physician assistants1

 and such other licensed health care    
professionals of the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs as the ,secretary    
considers appropriate consistent with   
the education1 training1 and            
certification of such health care       
professionals4  7b7 ,inapplicability of 
,state limitations ,full practice       
authority shall be provided by the      
,secretary under subsection 7a7 to      
health care professionals described in  
that subsection without regard to any   
limitation that would otherwise be      
imposed on the health care practice of  
such professionals by a licensing or    
credentialing body of a ,state or       
otherwise under ,state law4  7c7        
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,advanced practice registered nurse ,the
 term advanced practice registered nurse
 has the meaning given that term in     
section #eeji7;e77#a7 of ,public ,law   
#aaa-adh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acieww note74  
7#b7 ,full practice authority ,the term 
full practice authority means-- 7,a7    

with respect to an advanced practice    
registered nurse1 the full scope of     
practice for the area of nursing        
practiced by the advanced practice      
registered nurse as determined by the   
national professional association or    
organization1 a successor association or
 organization1 or any other appropriate 
entity as determined by the ,secretary  
for such area of nursing2  7,b7 with    
respect to a physician assistant1 the   
full scope of practice for the area of  
medicine practiced by the physician     
assistant as determined by the national 
professional association or             
organization1 a successor association or
 organization1 or any other appropriate 
entity as determined by the ,secretary  
for such area of medicine2 and  7,c7    
with respect to any other licensed      
health care professional not specified  
in subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b71 the full  
scope of practice for the area of       
medicine practiced by the licensed      
health care professional as determined  

by the national professional association
 or organization1 a successor           
association or organization1 or any     
other appropriate entity as determined  
by the ,secretary for such area of      
medicine4  7#c7 ,physician assistant    
,the term physician assistant has the   
meaning given that term in section      
#ahfa7;aa77#e77;,a7 of the ,social      
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciex7aa77#e77;,a774