Congress·In Committee·S. 3771

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

Veterans Affairs: Pay Raises for Medical Physicists

Feb 4·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Part of: Congress Proposes Pay Hikes for VA Medical Physicists to Improve Cancer Care

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Next up: A senate committee

A senate committee must act next: committee consideration.

Legislative Progress

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How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 6800 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 6800 (118th) →

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.

Impact Analysis

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Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 4, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Feb 4, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

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

Bill NumberS 3771

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(2)

R: 2

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.