Senators and Department of Veterans Affairs officials discussed legislation that would permanently authorize a pilot program permitting contract medical disability examiners to serve veterans across state lines.

Senator asked about the VA Lisonbee Portability Act, which seeks to extend license portability for contract medical disability examiners to speed up timely medical disability examinations. Kenneth Smith, the VA's assistant deputy undersecretary for operations management, said the department "strongly support[s] this" goal but recommended language changes. "We do have a couple of concerns … we would prefer to use 'healthcare providers' because 86% of our exams are currently conducted by non‑physician healthcare providers," Smith said. He also raised concerns about the submission of evidence to contract examiners, noting that contract examiners are subcontractors to prime contract vendors and that VA would prefer records be submitted directly to VA.

Senators pressed for clarity on the definitions used in the bill and on the pathways for evidence submission, citing timeliness and quality of exams as central to reducing claims backlogs and remands. The hearing record shows no formal action; VA agreed to work with lawmakers on drafting technical changes.

The committee did not vote on the measure; senators and VA witnesses agreed to follow up on proposed statutory language and contract evidence flows.