WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-02) released the following statement after her bill, the Veteran Infection Prevention (VIP) Act, advanced out of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. This bipartisan bill would require all Sterile Processing Technicians (SPTs) to receive certification from an accredited institution in cleaning medical equipment to work at a VA Medical Center. 

 
Watch Rep. Kiggans’ remarks here.

Congresswoman Kiggans said, “When a veteran walks into a VA Medical Center, they should expect the highest standard of care, and that includes the medical equipment used during procedures being properly sterilized, maintained, and handled by medical professionals. After serious failures at VA facilities exposed thousands of veterans to infection risks, it became clear that stronger standards and accountability measures were needed. My bipartisan VIP Act will help protect patient safety by requiring the proper certification for SPTs and ensuring VA facilities meet the same standards as civilian hospitals across the country.”

Rep. Kiggans’ remarks as prepared for delivery:

I want to thank the committee for bringing my bill, the Veteran Infection Prevention Act, or the VIP Act, up for the full committee markup today.

This bill would require that sterile processing technicians employed by the Veterans Health Administration hold the proper professional certification for cleaning medical equipment at VA Medical Centers.

With the proper certification of sterile processing technicians at the VA, we can take further precautionary steps in ensuring that our veterans decrease their risk of infections post procedure or surgery. 

The bill passed out of the Subcommittee markup for this reason. Today, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation to better protect our veterans from an increased risk of infection post operation.

Read a one-pager on the bill here.

Read the bill text here.