Comment from Washington State Department of Health on VA-2026-VHA-0166-0001

Summary: The Washington State Department of Health supports the proposed rule to expand access to state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) for VA health care providers. However, they recommend specific safeguards to ensure access remains tied to direct clinical care, maintain state confidentiality protections, and limit the scope of federal preemption and "interoperability" definitions.