Nurse Practitioners Launch Unprecedented Lobbying Blitz to Build Public Support for VA Proposal Hurdle

After a regulatory proposal from the VA to ensure veteran access to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including nurse practitioners (NPs), the proposal received a lot of backlash in the media. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has decided to step into the controversial discussion by launching an unprecedented lobbying blitz to build public support for the proposal.

Once authorized, this proposal will allow NPs to practice to the top of their education scope. The regulatory proposal will improve access to high-quality care for veterans and streamline the delivery of their much-needed health services. With so many of our nation’s heroes needlessly waiting for care in the VA system, nurse practitioners are a welcomed solution to giving veterans the care they need and deserve.

The AANP campaign also comes at a critical time for nurse practitioners. Over the last decade the number of NPs in the country have double to include more than 200,000 working nurse practitioners who are looking to expand their ability to care for patients. The VA has often been stuck in controversy accusing them of mismanagement and not promptly treating veterans who wait days and weeks for basic primary care services. Nurse practitioners could be a key part of the solution, but they’ll need to raise awareness first.

The “Veterans Deserve Care” effort put forth by AANP will include national television and radio advertisements, digital media, and a related public awareness campaign. If successful, this campaign could help to drown out opposition from major doctor groups like the American Medical Association, a powerful lobby on health issues in Washington. Nurse practitioners feel that they have growing support inside and outside the medical community. Bringing a 50-year track record of service to patients, including veterans and military members, the proposed rule offers zero risk and zero cost in ensuring that veterans have zero delay to accessing necessary primary care within the VA system. As AANP President Cindy Cooke says, “One veteran left waiting for care is one veteran too many.”