Legislation has been introduced that aims to hire foreign health professionals on H-1B visas to help the US Department of Veterans Affairs meet people’s medical needs.
On Wednesday, Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Delia Ramírez introduced the Veterans Health Care Provider Expansion Act.
If signed into law, the legislation would make it easier for the VA (veterans affairs) and state Veterans Homes to hire foreign employees on H1-B visas when they cannot find a suitable applicant in the United States.
Specifically, the bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs and State Veterans Homes as cap-exempt institutions for purposes of the H1-B visa program.
Our veterans deserve high-quality healthcare, and our district knows firsthand the importance of providing access to care, especially mental health services, for veterans who need it most, Tlaib said.
We can’t just express our gratitude to our veterans for their service to our country, we must do more to ensure that every veteran has the support they need to live healthy lives, he said.
I am proud to introduce this legislation to expand healthcare providers for our veterans by welcoming immigrant healthcare professionals to care for them, and I will continue to make sure our veterans are not left behind when they return home, Talib said.
Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said: We have a duty to uphold our commitment to our veterans, who are affected by our nation’s shortage of healthcare workers.
We can address this shortage with the immigrants in our communities who are ready and want to work, but face so many obstacles to doing so. We can and must address this, she said.
The Veterans Health Care Provider Expansion Act came about after the Detroit VA Medical Center was on the verge of closing its methadone clinic providing life-saving care to more than 90 local veterans earlier this year due to the recruitment difficulties imposed by the H1-B visa limit.
Tlaib’s intervention was able to prevent the complete closure of the clinic, and this bill is designed to ensure that such a situation does not arise again in the future, according to a press release.
This legislation is supported by the National Veterans For Peace Save Our VA Project and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, he said.
(Only the headline and image in this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff; all other content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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