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VA HB523

VA HB523
Military medical personnel; definition, expands program, report.


summary

Introduced
01/13/2026
In Committee
02/18/2026
Crossed Over
02/16/2026
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2026 Regular Regular Session

Bill Summary

Department of Veterans Services; Department of Health Professions; military medical personnel; program; work group; report. Expands the definition of "military medical personnel" for the purposes of the program established by the Department of Veterans Services (the Department), in collaboration with the Department of Health Professions, that allows such military medical personnel to practice and perform certain delegated acts that constitute the practice of medicine or nursing to include other enlisted service members who have successfully completed appropriate technical training and any required certifications and who were discharged or released from such service under conditions other than dishonorable. Under current law, "military medical personnel" means an individual who has recently served as a medic in the United States Army, medical technician in the United States Air Force, medical personnel in the United States Space Force, or corpsman in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard.The bill allows such military medical personnel participating in the program to be supervised by any licensed practitioner, as defined in the bill. Current law allows such personnel to be supervised by a physician or podiatrist. The bill directs the Department of Veterans Services to convene a work group to provide guidance on the implementation and further development of the Military Medics and Corpsmen program and to report its findings to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2026.

AI Summary

This bill expands the definition of "military medical personnel" to include other enlisted service members who have completed appropriate technical training and certifications and have practiced in the U.S. Military Health System under honorable conditions, in addition to those previously recognized like Army medics or Navy corpsmen. It allows these military medical personnel, when participating in a program established by the Department of Veterans Services in collaboration with the Department of Health Professions, to be supervised by any medical professional licensed by the Board of Medicine, not just physicians or podiatrists as previously allowed. Furthermore, if a former service member's military training and experience qualify them to perform medical or nursing acts but they lack a typical academic degree, they can practice for up to three years while completing degree requirements. To support this, the Virginia Community College System will work with the Military Medics and Corpsmen Program and the Virginia Health Workforce and Development Authority to develop procedures for awarding academic credit for relevant military health coursework and training. The bill also mandates a stakeholder work group to study and recommend pathways for recognizing military medical training for civilian healthcare careers and to guide the development of the Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) program, with a report due by November 1, 2026.

Committee Categories

Education, Health and Social Services

Sponsors (6)

Last Action

Senate Education and Health Hearing (08:30:00 3/5/2026 Senate Room A, Room 305, General Assembly Building) (on 03/05/2026)

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