(Big Sandy, Mont.) – President Donald Trump has signed U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s 19^th bipartisan bill into law. 

Tester's Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act will ensure all disabled veterans who are newly hired as VA physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, chiropractors, podiatrists, optometrists, and dentists will not have to face the financial hardship of taking unpaid leave to receive necessary medical treatment.

“Our law helps disabled veterans find a good job after they transition back to civilian life and get the medical care they need for service-related injuries,” said Tester. “And even better, that job lets them give back to their fellow veterans by working at the VA. This effort shows what we can get done when we work together and I will keep working with anyone willing to get things done for Montana veterans.” 

Tester’s law allows veterans with a disability rating of 30 percent or higher to access additional paid sick leave during their first year on the job for the purposes of receiving medical care related to their service-connected condition.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tester authored the Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act with Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and nearly a dozen other veteran advocacy organizations endorsed Tester’s bipartisan bill.

Tester has authored 18 bipartisan bills that President Trump has signed into law since January 2017. The Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act is the 19th Tester bill that President Trump has signed into law. All are bills that Tester had a significant role in writing.

Tester's other 18 bills signed into law by President Trump are available HERE.