Temporary professional certification requirement for sterile processing technicians of the Veterans Health Administration

(a) Requirement Section 7402(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraph (14) as (15); and (2) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following new paragraph: (14) Sterile processing technician To be eligible to be appointed to a sterile processing technician position (except for such a position that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines is entry level), a person must be certified as a sterile processing technician by an accredited institution engaged in providing sterile processing technician training not later than two years after such an appointment.. appointment. (b) Current employees (1) Applicability The amendment made by subsection Subsection (a) shall apply to a covered employee two years on the day that is 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (A) Requirement The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall award to a covered employee a scholarship under subchapter VI of chapter 76 of title 38, United States Code, for certification described in of section 7402(b)(14) of such title, as amended by subsection (a). (B) Period of obligated service Notwithstanding section 7672(e) of such title, the period of obligated service of a covered employee awarded a scholarship pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be a period of two years one day beginning on the day that the covered employee receives such certification. (3) Covered employee defined In this subsection, the term covered employee means a person— (A) occupying a sterile processing technician position in the Veterans Health Administration on the date of the enactment of this Act; and (B) who, on such date, is not certified as a sterile processing technician by an accredited institution engaged in providing sterile processing technician training.training. (c) Termination This section shall have no effect after September 30, 2028.