What This Bill Does
This bill would remove the limit on how many pay-limit waivers the Secretary of Veterans Affairs can grant for certain critical health care personnel. In practice, it is meant to help the VA recruit and keep doctors, nurses, and other hard-to-fill medical staff by allowing more exceptions to federal salary caps. The change would affect veterans who rely on VA hospitals and clinics, as well as the health care workers the department competes with in a tight labor market.
- Eliminates the cap on waivers to certain VA pay limitations
- Applies to critical health care personnel at the Department of Veterans Affairs
- Aims to help the VA recruit and retain hard-to-fill medical staff
- Changes how the Secretary of Veterans Affairs can approve compensation exceptions
Who This Bill Affects
If you are a veteran who uses VA health care, this bill could improve access by making it easier for the VA to hire and keep scarce medical staff. That can translate into better staffing at clinics and hospitals, shorter waits in some specialties, and more continuity of care. If you are a VA clinician or other critical health worker, it could increase the odds of receiving a higher-pay waiver in a role the department struggles to fill.
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- Bill
- HR 9406
- Congress
- 119th Congress
- Official title
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to eliminate the cap on the number of waivers to certain pay limitations that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue for critical health care personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Policy area
- Veterans & Military Families
- Latest action
- Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (June 23, 2026)
- Last updated
- June 24, 2026
Who Supports & Opposes This
- Veterans receiving VA care Supporters argue that more flexible pay authority will help the VA fill shortages faster, which can improve appointment availability, continuity of care, and treatment quality for veterans.
- VA doctors, nurses, and clinical specialists Medical staff and recruiters may favor the bill because it gives the department a better chance of matching outside offers for scarce specialties, especially in competitive markets and high-cost areas.
- Veterans' health system administrators Administrators are likely to see this as a practical workforce tool that reduces vacancies in critical positions and helps facilities avoid service disruptions caused by understaffing.
- Federal budget watchdogs Critics may worry that removing the waiver cap could increase personnel spending and make it harder to control federal compensation costs across the VA system.
- Employees concerned about internal pay equity Some workers may argue that broader waiver authority could create uneven treatment among staff with similar responsibilities or credentials, especially if waivers are granted selectively.
- Fiscal conservatives Opponents may object that the bill expands executive flexibility without a matching offset, which they may view as adding pressure to discretionary spending.
Key Implications
-
““eliminate the cap on the number of waivers””
This means the VA would no longer be limited to a fixed number of exceptions when it needs to pay above standard federal limits for eligible staff.
-
““certain pay limitations””
The bill targets salary restrictions that can make federal pay less competitive than private-sector compensation for scarce medical professionals.
-
““critical health care personnel””
The policy is aimed at the staff most essential to patient care, so the effect would be concentrated on hard-to-fill clinical roles rather than all VA employees.
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““the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue””
The decision would remain within VA leadership, but with more room to respond to staffing problems facility by facility or specialty by specialty.
Latest Status
June 23, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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