Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday afternoon.
(The Center Square) — U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, is sponsoring a bipartisan bill to address staffing shortages at the Veterans Health Administration.
The Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act of 2025 would amend Section 7616 of Title 38 and “enhance the educational occupational program to address staffing shortages” within the VHA. The bill was approved Wednesday by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“From what I am told, staffing shortages in the Veterans Health Administration are driven by two main factors: high demand for veteran healthcare and persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, especially medical officers and nurses,” Hamadeh told The Center Square, answering questions by email. “In fact, according to Inspector General reports, well over 80% of VA facilities have severe medical officer and nursing shortages.”
Hamadeh added that “part of this gap is the result of bureaucratic red tape” in the onboarding process for healthcare workers.
“Healthcare providers are unable to fill open positions in a timely manner so veterans must wait longer for care,” said Hamadeh, a former U.S. Army Reserve captain and intelligence officer. “That is unacceptable.”
When asked how long veterans are waiting for health care, Hamadeh described it in two words: too long.
“And I want to be crystal clear about this: For far too long, timely access to care has been the VA’s Achilles’ heel,” Hamadeh continued.
The representative applauded what he called “major progress under Secretary Doug Collins’ leadership,” but said the truth is that “the VA was set back so much under the Biden Administration” that there is still work to be done.
“And because of the constant shortage of physicians and nurses, far too many veterans can’t get care when they need it,” said Hamadeh. “That is exactly why I introduced the HPSP Improvement Act. We have to cut the red tape and get qualified healthcare professionals into VA clinics, so our veterans never have to wait too long for the care they have earned.”
If the government does nothing, Hamadeh said wait times will grow, quality of care will decrease, and the health of U.S. veterans will be sacrificed. That, said Hamadeh, is not something the government should do to those who have served their country.
“The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has reviewed my Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act, as amended, and determined it would have ‘insignificant budgetary effects’ for taxpayers,” said Hamadeh. “My bill is designed to make the system work better without adding new costs to federal spending or burdens on taxpayers.”
Also known as H.R. 3767, the HPSP Improvement Act of 2025 is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois.
“The bipartisan Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act would streamline the path for HPSP participants to start working full-time and make it easier for veterans to get the care they need,” said Budzinski in her own press release.
When asked whether he’s had discussions with the other Arizonans representing the state on Capitol Hill, Hamadeh said he has spent most of his time listening to his fellow veterans’ stories, concerns and hopes about what Congress should do for them.
“When it comes to veterans’ issues, I don’t care about party lines,” Hamadeh told The Center Square. “Every veterans’ bill I have introduced has been bipartisan, and it is not by mistake. I believe in results, and I will work with anyone — Democrat or Republican — to ensure we keep our promise to America’s veterans and turn positive changes into real improvements.”
