Department of Veterans Affairs Therapeutic Medical Physicist Pay Cap Relief Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill changes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hires and pays medical physicists. These specialists are essential for veterans receiving radiation therapy for cancer or advanced medical imaging like MRIs and CT scans.
• The plan moves these physicists into the same high-level pay category as VA doctors and dentists. This removes current pay caps, making it easier for the VA to compete with private hospitals for top talent.
• To get these jobs, physicists would be required to complete advanced clinical training and earn professional board certification. This ensures that veterans are treated by experts who meet the highest national standards.
• The goal is to fix staffing shortages in VA radiation and imaging departments. Better pay and clear career paths are expected to help the VA hire more specialists, which could reduce wait times for life-saving treatments.
• Within one year of the bill becoming law, the VA must give Congress a report on how the pay changes affected hiring and what the total cost was to the government.

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