The Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022

The Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022 (AUTO) was signed into law on January 5, 2023. The law directs VA to (1) authorize an additional Auto Grant to eligible veterans if 30 years have passed since they received their first Auto Grant (the eligibility timeframe decreases to 10 years in 2023); (2) update the agency’s definition of “medical services”; and (3) permit the sale and installation of nonarticulating trailers.

Currently, VA is expected to implement these provisions by October 2023. See below for additional information regarding AUTO’s history, purpose, and current status.

• The Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022
• “For The Win! The Inside Story of How the AUTO Act Became Law”

The Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2016

The VMSA was signed into law on December 14, 2016. The legislation, which was championed by NMEDA, focuses on VA’s Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) program and requires VA to establish quality and safety standards for AAE program vendors; to consistently apply AAE program policy nationwide; to improve the education and training of VA employees administering the AAE program; and, among other things, to report to Congress biannually on VMSA compliance.

After several delays and missed deadlines, VA initiated the much-anticipated VMSA rulemaking in March 2020. See below for additional information regarding the VMSA’s history, purpose, and current status.

• The Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2016
• VMSA Public Meeting Transcript
• “An Industry Comes Together”
• “NMEDA Takes Washington By Storm (Literally)”
• “What Ever Happened to the VMSA?”
• VMSA Rulemaking: Part 1 – Adaptive Equipment Allowance
• NMEDA Comment on VMSA Rulemaking: Part 1 – Adaptive Equipment Allowance

NMEDA’s Past Due Invoice Program

The prompt payment of VA invoices is an issue of great concern for NMEDA members. As we continue to work with VA and Congress to establish a uniform procedure for enforcing prompt payment across the VA healthcare system, NMEDA’s Past Due Invoice (PDI) Program – an exclusive members-only benefit – can help get those PDIs resolved sooner and more frequently.

• Congressional Testimony – “Assessing VA’s Ability to Promptly Pay Non-VA Providers”
• Congressman Ruben Gallego’s PDI Letter to VBA
• “NMEDA’s VA Past Due Invoice Program Starts to Show Results”

How the Program Works

If you are having difficulty being promptly paid by VA, this program is for you. The process is simple but does require participants to:

• Only submit invoices that are 60+ days past due
• Ensure that the invoices were properly documented, pre-authorized, and are not currently in dispute
• Make at least one attempt to resolve the outstanding payment(s) directly
• Confirm that invoices submitted to NMEDA’s PDI Program have not already been paid

VA has indicated that this program will be suspended or terminated if invoices do not meet the above requirements.
We appreciate your cooperation.

Once you are ready to submit PDIs that meet the above requirements, please use the Excel spreadsheet linked below and input the requested information directly into the Excel file on your computer. (Please do not print and fill out by hand or submit PDFs.) Once the file is saved to your desktop or hard drive as an “Excel Workbook,” attach the Excel file to a new email (SUBJECT: past due invoices) and send it to webmaster@nmeda.org. Only forms filled out completely will be accepted.

Questions? Please call 813.264.2697 and we will be glad to assist you.