Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill expands the Federal Employees' Compensation Act by defining an 'other eligible provider' as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant acting within the scope of practice allowed by state law. It inserts those providers alongside physicians throughout provisions governing medical services, selection of a provider, medical examinations, and disputes over medical evidence. This allows injured federal employees to use qualified nurse practitioners and physician assistants for functions that federal workers' compensation law currently assigns to physicians. The Secretary of Labor must finalize implementing rules within six months. State scope-of-practice law remains the boundary on what each provider may do.
Who Benefits and How
Injured federal employees benefit from a larger pool of clinicians who may furnish treatment and participate in the medical-evidence process for a Federal Employees' Compensation Act claim, potentially reducing travel and appointment delays. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants benefit from new eligibility to provide reimbursable FECA services and medical opinions within their state-law scope of practice.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Department of Labor workers' compensation administrators must finalize regulations within six months and update claim, provider, examination, and medical-dispute procedures to recognize the two provider categories. Physician practices may face some redirected FECA appointments or medical-review work, while all participating clinicians must remain within state scope-of-practice limits and satisfy existing program requirements.
Key Provisions
- Adds nurse practitioners and physician assistants to FECA's definition of eligible medical providers when acting within state-authorized scope of practice.
- Expands statutory references to physicians so eligible providers may furnish treatment and participate in medical examinations and evidence disputes.
- Requires the Labor Secretary to finalize implementing rules within six months after enactment.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorize nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide covered care and medical evidence under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act.
Key Policy Areas
Labor, Health Care
Primary Purpose
Authorize nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide covered care and medical evidence under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act.
Policy Domains
Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act of 2025
Identified Gains
- Injured federal employees receiving workers' compensation
- Nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Identified Costs
- Department of Labor workers' compensation administrators
- Physician practices participating in FECA
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be …
Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Nurse practitioners, Physician assistants
Department of Labor workers' compensation administrators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
- "covered_employee"
- → Federal employee covered by FECA
- "other_eligible_provider"
- → State-authorized nurse practitioner or physician assistant
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A nurse practitioner or physician assistant acting within the scope of practice defined by state law.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology