Bipartisan, MOAA-supported legislation would reduce credentialing delays for military health care providers, allowing them to spend more time with patients and less time on bureaucratic hurdles.

Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) introduced the Digital Oversight of Credentials for Service Members (DOCS) Act (H.R. 3636) on May 29, a bill designed to overhaul and centralize the military’s credentialing process for health care providers under the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“This commonsense legislation helps protect the value, with high quality and access, of the service-earned health care benefit — a key to the success and stability of the all-volunteer force,” said Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), MOAA president and CEO, in a press release announcing the bill.

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Military medical personnel — including physicians, nurses, and specialists — now face lengthy and repetitive licensure verifications of up to several months when transferring between duty stations or military treatment facilities (MTFs). These delays exacerbate staffing shortages and postpone critical care delivery.

“As a Navy veteran and health care provider, I know how frustrating and harmful these delays can be,” Kiggans said in the release. “The DOCS Act delivers a simple, commonsense solution: Verify licenses quickly, centrally, and consistently so our providers can do what they were trained to do — take care of our servicemembers and their families.”

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Jacobs noted re-credentialing delays can stretch up to half a year, even between facilities in the same area.

“Bureaucratic red tape shouldn’t delay military doctors and nurses from seeing and treating their patients for months,” she added.

The DOCS Act would:

• Centralize credentialing by mandating DHA create and manage a unified system for all uniformed and civilian medical providers in DoD.
  
  
• Speed up verification by requiring 90% of license verifications to be completed within seven calendar days of request.
  
  
• Promote universal access by allowing any commanding officer at an MTF to verify provider credentials, regardless of military branch or geographic location.

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Streamlining credential checks is expected to close critical staffing gaps, reduce mission-impacting delays, and enhance readiness across the military health care system. DHA serves nearly 9.5 million beneficiaries and employs about 130,000 military and civilian health care professionals worldwide.

MOAA will continue advocating for commonsense reforms like the DOCS Act to reduce bureaucratic barriers, improve access to care, and strengthen the military health system. Stay up to date on MOAA’s ongoing efforts to ensure access to care. If you’ve faced access barriers, contact MOAA and share your story.