APMA News - July/August 2018 - 12

Victory on VA Provider Equity

continued from page 11

APMA member Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-OH) had recently been elected as the first podiatrist in the House of Representatives. Rep. Wenstrup, himself a colonel in the Army Reserve and a combat veteran, was serving on the House VA
Committee and agreed to sponsor APMA's VA Provider Equity Act. Without Senate VA sponsors, though, the bill died on
the vine during that congressional cycle.
Rep. Wenstrup reintroduced the bill in the 2015-16 congressional cycle, and APMA Legislative Advocacy staff continued to meet with members of the VA committees in both
chambers of Congress. Wallner also began building relationships with members of the Armed Services Committees, con-

tion. Then-President Ira H. Kraus, DPM, was instrumental in
working with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) and its parent organization, the American Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). His connections, particularly
his relationship with AOFAS Immediate-Past President Thomas
Lee, MD, bore fruit in July 2017 when AOFAS and AAOS indicated their support for the bill in a letter to Rep. Wenstrup.
"The support for the bill from the orthopedic community
was a tipping point," said APMA Executive Director and CEO
James R. Christina, DPM. "APMA has made a huge effort to
collaborate with our peers at AOFAS and AAOS on a variety
of mutually beneficial issues, and that relationship paid off."
In the letter, the leadership of AOFAS and AAOS indicated
their confidence that the VA Provider Equity Act would "in-

"THE SUPPORT FOR THE BILL FROM THE
ORTHOPEDIC COMMUNITY WAS A TIPPING POINT,"
said APMA Executive Director and CEO James R. Christina, DPM. "APMA
has made a huge effort to collaborate with our peers at AOFAS and AAOS
on a variety of mutually beneficial issues, and that relationship paid off."

12 APMA News July/August 2018

crease access to foot and ankle care for Veterans by improving
recruitment and retention within the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) of highly qualified podiatrists. The [legislation]
accomplishes this by raising salaries for podiatrists and allowing podiatrists access to appropriate leadership positions at the
VA. Podiatrists are an essential part of the care team at the VA
and work alongside orthopaedic surgeons every day to provide
excellent service to veterans."
The VA Provider Equity Act passed unanimously on consent in the House of Representatives just days later. By December, the Senate, too, seemed likely to pass the bill. It was amended to the Caring for Our Veterans Act, legislation that had a
high likelihood of passage. But once again, the bill languished
in committee.
At the time of the APMA Legislative Conference in March
2018, it seemed probable that an omnibus spending package
would include the Caring for Our Veterans Act. More than
200 APMA members and students pounded the halls of Congress during that event, carrying the message about podiatry
in the VHA to every legislator who would listen. When the
final language of the omnibus bill was released, however, Caring for Our Veterans had been cut. Staff advised APMA members at the time that the bill could be rolled into a mini-VA
omnibus package-the kind of bill traditionally considered
and passed around Memorial Day.

Image on previous pages by Shutterstock/Rachata Sinthopachakul.

sidering the military the next "domino" in APMA's overall legislative strategy: Once the VA fell, the military would be the
next to topple and create parity for podiatrists.
During that cycle, Nichol Salvo, DPM, now chief of Podiatry
and director of the residency program at the Atlanta VA
Medical Center, delivered impassioned testimony before the
House Committee on Veterans Affairs about her own experience at the VHA. The House of Representatives passed the bill
that year on consent.
On the Senate side, however, orthopedic surgeons had
launched an aggressive campaign to kill the bill by lobbying
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), chair of the Senate Committee on
Veterans Affairs. Ultimately, the Senate did not budge.
Undaunted, the team began again in the 2017-18 congressional cycle. Rep. Wenstrup, as chair of the House Committee
on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, again invited
podiatrists to present testimony on the issue. APMA members answered the call once more, with Steven Goldman,
DPM, president of the American Board of Podiatric Medicine;
Jeffrey Robbins, DPM, director of Podiatry Services at the
VHA; and Seth Rubenstein, DPM, APMA trustee, offering
oral testimony.
APMA staff and member leaders, working closely with Rep.
Wenstrup, took a direct approach to the orthopedists' concerns,
meeting with them to build relationships and eliminate opposi-



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - July/August 2018

Contents
APMA News - July/August 2018 - Cover1
APMA News - July/August 2018 - Cover2
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 3
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 4
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 5
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 6
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 7
APMA News - July/August 2018 - Contents
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 9
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 10
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 11
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 12
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 13
APMA News - July/August 2018 - 14
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APMA News - July/August 2018 - Cover3
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