Title: VA Provider Equity Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Provider Equity Act
This bill: (1) makes a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) doctor of podiatric medicine eligible for any supervisory position to the same degree as a VHA physician, and (2) increases the pay grade of podiatric surgeons to match the compensation of other VHA surgeons, physicians, and dentists.
The Department of Veterans Affairs shall establish standards to ensure that specialists appointed to supervisory VHA positions do not provide direct clinical oversight for purposes of peer review or practice evaluation for providers of other clinical specialties.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1871 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1871

     To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the role of 
   podiatrists in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2017

  Mr. Cassidy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the role of 
   podiatrists in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Provider Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. ROLE OF PODIATRISTS IN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Inclusion as Physician.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter I of chapter 74 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 7413. Treatment of podiatrists; clinical oversight standards
    ``(a) Podiatrists.--Except as provided by subsection (b), a doctor 
of podiatric medicine who is appointed as a podiatrist under section 
7401(1) of this title is eligible for any supervisory position in the 
Veterans Health Administration to the same degree that a physician 
appointed under such section is eligible for the position.
    ``(b) Establishment of Clinical Oversight Standards.--The 
Secretary, in consultation with appropriate stakeholders, shall 
establish standards to ensure that specialists appointed in the 
Veterans Health Administration to supervisory positions do not provide 
direct clinical oversight for purposes of peer review or practice 
evaluation for providers of other clinical specialties.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 74 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 7412 the following new item:

``7413. Treatment of podiatrists; clinical oversight standards.''.
    (b) Modification and Clarification of Pay Grade.--
            (1) Grade.--The list in section 7404(b) of such title is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking ``PHYSICIAN AND DENTIST SCHEDULE'' 
                and inserting ``PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON (MD/DO), 
                PODIATRIC SURGEON (DPM), AND DENTIST AND ORAL SURGEON 
                (DDS, DMD) SCHEDULE'';
                    (B) by striking, ``Physician grade'' and inserting 
                ``Physician and surgeon grade''; and
                    (C) by striking ``PODIATRIST, CHIROPRACTOR, AND'' 
                and inserting ``CHIROPRACTOR AND''.
            (2) Application.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply with respect to a pay period of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs beginning on or after the date that is 30 days 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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