Reps. Courtney and Walberg Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Expand Health Care Access for Federal Workers
WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday evening, U.S. Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Tim Walberg (R-MI), and U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), introduced the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 618). The bipartisan bill would amend the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) to allow injured workers to receive treatment for work-related injuries from state-licensed physician associates/physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). Current law prohibits federal workers from being treated by PAs and NPs for worker compensation cases.
“This commonsense bill would expand much-needed treatment options,” said Rep. Walberg. “Across the country, nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide critical care, especially in rural and underserved communities where there may not be a physician within a reasonable distance. Current federal law imposes an additional burden on federal employees who may have to travel great distances to receive care from an approved provider. This bill would improve access to care, enable better continuity of care, and grant workers more choice in selecting a health care provider with whom they are most comfortable. I thank Representative Courtney, Senator Collins, and Senator Brown for their leadership."
“Finding smart ways to support our economy and get folks back to work is top of mind, and this bill is a simple fix that updates an out-of-date law to support the workforce” said Rep. Courtney. "Federal employees represent a major portion of America’s workforce, but right now they’re barred by FECA from visiting licensed Nurse Practitioners and Physician’s Assistants when they need treatment for workplace injuries and illnesses. Our bill would tweak FECA to enable NPs and PAs to certify workers’ claims, get reimbursed, and help federal employees get healthy and get back on the job sooner—that includes the 1,000 federal workers we’ve got at SUBASE New London, from firefighters, to police officers, to crane operators. Congressman Walberg and I teamed up last year to pass this bipartisan bill, and I’m proud to join him and our Senate colleagues to get this to the President's desk this session.”
“In a large, rural state like Maine, finding access to health care close to home can be a challenge,” said Senator Collins. “Nurse practitioners and physician assistants help to fill in this gap by providing quality medical services to local communities. By allowing injured federal workers to be treated by these professionals, our bipartisan bill would help prevent the need for long and difficult travel, reduce wait times for care, and improve employees’ overall health and wellbeing.”
“It is imperative that federal workers have access to health care regardless of the status of their workers’ compensation cases,” said Senator Brown. “This legislation will allow federal workers in Ohio and across the country to receive necessary treatment from physician associates and nurse practitioners they trust in their communities while their claims are settled. By passing this legislation, we will ensure the dignity of work is honored for all federal workers.”
"On behalf of our country's more than 159,000 PAs, the American Academy of Physician Associates thanks Representatives Tim Walberg and Joe Courtney and Senators Sherrod Brown and Susan Collins for their dedication and commitment to improving healthcare access for federal employees. The Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act would expand access to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare delivered by PAs and will ensure PAs are recognized under the Federal Employees' Compensation Program to diagnose medical conditions, certify injury and extent of disability, and oversee patient treatment and care. The current law excludes PAs from this program and creates an outdated, overly burdensome barrier that reduces access to care for approximately 2 million federal employees," said AAPA President and Chair of the Board Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA.
“The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), on behalf of the over 355,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) nationwide, would like to thank Senators Brown and Collins and Representatives Walberg and Courtney for introducing the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act,” said AANP President April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN. “This legislation will improve both access to care and patient choice by allowing federal employees who are injured or become ill during their employment to select an NP to certify their workplace injury or illness, as well as oversee their care in the federal workers’ compensation program. Today, NPs are the provider of choice for millions of patients. This legislation will update the federal workers’ compensation program to better reflect delivery of care in our nation. AANP urges Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation to improve access to health care for federal employees.”
“This legislation is a commonsense solution to amend the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act to grant injured postal and federal workers wider access to necessary medical care from eligible providers in a timely manner,” said National Postal Mail Handlers Union President Paul V. Hogrogian.
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