King Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve VA Hiring, Retention of High-Skilled Doctors

September 17, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), is introducing bipartisan legislation that makes it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) medical centers to hire and better retain high-skilled doctors. The bipartisan VA Salary Cap Waiver Adjustment Act would allow the VA Secretary to issue waivers to VA medical directors and allow them to exceed existing salary caps if they need to hire or retain highly skilled physicians. The VA system currently faces a serious shortage of doctors, due in part to the higher pay rates available in the private sector. Joining Senator King on the legislation are Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
When the United States Congress passed the bipartisan Elizabeth Dole Act in December of 2024, it allowed the VA to exceed salary caps for a limited number of highly trained physicians and for a limited time. Senator King’s bipartisan bill would allow the VA Secretary to issue as many waivers as necessary and allow this system to remain in place for the next five years after enactment allowing medical facilities a greater degree of certainty when they make hiring decisions. As VA Secretary Doug Collins discussed with Senator King in a recent SVAC hearing, the limitations of the current system created by the Elizabeth Dole Act are not giving the VA the flexibility it needs, resulting in the need for this type of legislation.
“Our men and women in uniform served our country with patriotism and without conditions, and they deserve medical attention with a minimum of red tape,” said Senator King. “The VA Salary Cap Waiver Adjustment would allow VA facilities to have a more competitive salary structure that will maintain high levels of care for our veterans and reduce the odds that the VA lose doctors to higher paying opportunities elsewhere.”
“Hiring and retaining skilled physicians is a serious challenge within the VA and it needs to be addressed now,” Senator Fischer said. “Giving the VA flexibility to retain medical professionals will help it compete with private-sector salaries and ensure veterans receive high-quality care. I thank Senators King and Blumenthal for their leadership, and I will continue working to support Nebraska’s veterans.”
“VA’s current salary cap is outdated and counterproductive — hindering the Department as it competes with the private sector to hire doctors,” said Senator Blumenthal . “Our bipartisan bill gives VA authority to raise physician salaries. As the cost of living continues to skyrocket, VA needs this authority to recruit and retain the best doctors around to serve veterans.”
The VA Salary Cap Waiver Adjustment Act is also supported by Vietnam Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
“Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) supports efforts to ensure every veteran has timely access to high-quality care,” said WWP Vice President of Government and Community Relations Jose Ramos. “The VA Salary Cap Waiver Adjustment Act would provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with greater flexibility to recruit and retain skilled health care professionals in areas with critical staffing needs. We appreciate Senator King’s unwavering commitment to those who served and urge Congress to pass this important legislation.”
Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. In March, Senator King was honored by The American Legion with its 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award . Last year, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. He was also recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.”
On the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs. Last year, he introduced the VA Claim Sharks Effective Warnings Act that would protect veterans from unaccredited claims representatives seeking to defraud them of their benefits. Earlier this year, he introduced the TAP Promotion Act which would allow accredited representatives from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), or other organizations, to participate in Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes to help transitioning servicemembers file Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claims. Additionally, he introduced the Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act , which would address an unfair rule in federal law that creates unnecessary delays when veterans with service-connected disabilities attempt to access earned education and employment benefits.
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