The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this final rule to confirm that its health care professionals may practice their health care profession consistent with the scope and requirements of their VA employment, notwithstanding any State license, registration, certification, or other requirements that unduly interfere with their practice.  Specifically, this rulemaking confirms VA’s current practice of allowing VA health care professionals to deliver health care services in a State other than the health care professional’s State of licensure, registration, certification, or other State requirement, thereby enhancing beneficiaries’ access to critical VA health care services.  This rulemaking also confirms VA’s authority to establish national standards of practice for health care professionals which will standardize a health care professional’s practice in all VA medical facilities. In accordance with E.O. 14094, VA plans to send every pertinent State Board or certifying or registration organization a letter with information on the impact of the proposed national standard of practice on the specific State, with an opportunity for the State Board or certifying or registration organization to respond and engage directly with VA. In addition, every draft national standard of practice will be published in the Federal Register for 60 days for public comment to obtain feedback from the public, professional associations, and any other interested party and will also be published on an internal VA website affording VA employees the opportunity to comment. There will also be pre-decisional collaboration with our partners in the Department of Defense (DoD), with our VA labor partners, and specific engagement with professional associations, as appropriate. We reiterate, all interested parties and external stakeholders will have an opportunity to review and provide comments on the draft national standards of practice.