H.R. 3693 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase the maximum reimbursement rate for expenses related to continuing professional education from $1,000 to $2,000 annually for full-time physicians and dentists employed by the department. VA also could adjust that $2,000 annual cap. Under the bill, other VA health care professionals such as registered nurses, physician assistants, and psychologists also would be eligible for the reimbursement.
Under current law, approximately 31,000 VA employees are eligible to receive reimbursement for continuing professional education expenses at the $1,000 cap. Those employees would receive an additional $1,000 under the bill. Using information from VA, CBO estimates that an additional 251,000 employees would become newly eligible for the $2,000 reimbursement under the bill. An average of 52 percent of eligible employees get reimbursed annually under current law. CBO expects similar take-up rates under the bill. CBO also expects that the department would adjust the annual cap for inflation. Thus, the cost of implementing the bill would total $3,311 million over the 2023-2032 period, CBO estimates.
