House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Passes Congressman Hamadeh’s Legislation to Address Veterans Health Administration Staffing Shortages
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs passed Congressman Abraham J. Hamadeh’s (AZ-08) bipartisan Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP) Improvement Act of 2025 to alleviate the Veterans Health Administration staffing shortages.
This bill, H.R. 3767, introduced by Congressman Hamadeh and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), amends Section 7616 of Title 38, to enhance the educational occupational program to address staffing shortages within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
This legislation directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to ensure HPSP participants receive a full-time employment contract with the VHA no later than 90 days after the completion of their course.
As part of Congressman Hamadeh’s effort to increase accountability, the bill also mandates that a hiring report is sent to the Committees on Veteran’s Affairs of both Congressional chambers, identifying the most essential professions. Employment will then take place according to the volume of those professional needs identified for VA facilities.
Congressman Hamadeh, a former Army Captain and Intelligence Officer, is dedicated to supporting Veterans, ensuring they receive the medical support they deserve. The introduction of this bill is a testament to that.
“I want to thank Congresswoman Budzinski for joining me in offering this bipartisan bill to address a critical gap in VA healthcare delivery. The Inspector General’s reports are clear: staffing shortages are compromising veteran care. Wait times for urgent and emergency care continue to climb while qualified healthcare professionals sit idle, waiting months for the VA bureaucracy to process their employment contracts,” stated Congressman Hamadeh.
“This bill cuts through the red tape,” explained Congressman Hamadeh. “HPSP scholarship recipients will receive employment contracts within 90 days of completing their training - period. No more six-month delays. No more bureaucratic excuses. And facilities with the highest staffing needs get priority placement.”
“The core mission of the HPSP Improvement Act is about getting doctors and nurses into VA facilities where veterans need them most,” concluded Congressman Hamadeh. “My fellow veterans in Arizona’s 8th District deserve better than the status quo. When I served as an Army Intelligence Officer, we lived by a simple principle: mission first, people always. This embodies that commitment.”
Background:
The Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP) provides financial assistance to students receiving education or training in a direct or indirect health-care services discipline; and assists in providing an adequate supply of such personnel for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Mission Act of 2018 supplemented this program by requiring the VA Secretary to authorize at least 50 scholarships annually unless it is found that the shortage of VA dentists or physicians is less than 500.