FEDERAL ADVOCACY
6 AOA advocacy wins in 2025 that set the stage for 2026
Check out these crucial wins that AOA achieved for doctors and patients in 2025 as advocates look to March 15-17 for AOA on Capitol Hill | AOA Federal Keyperson Summit.
VA optometrists achieve pay parity
Executive order adjusts U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pay schedule.
AOA makes progress to soften the impact of federal student loan changes
Advocacy efforts have kept optometry classified as a professional degree.
AOA secures legislative win
DEA recognizes AOA as physician-level provider of required trainings for prescribers of controlled substances.
VSP agrees to new contracting transparency standards as AOA presses for industrywide change
AOA’s ongoing advocacy and engagement on behalf of optometry leads to a first-of-its-kind move toward improvement.
COB: Why using VSP’s industry-best program will benefit patients and your practice
A Q&A with VSP Chair Matt Wickham, O.D.
Myopia Collective urges Congress to back nation’s first federally funded children’s vision health program
Currently, recommendations for pre-elementary vision screenings vary by state, leaving many students with undetected myopia that can hamper their learning.
2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: What to know about the rule
The CMS' final rule includes an increased base conversion factor, reflecting a temporary 2.5% statutory increase, as well as other updates that will affect practices.
AOA on Capitol Hill 2025: Live News Updates
Welcome to the official news hub for AOA on Capitol Hill 2025! Follow along with the AOA's exclusive coverage from optometry's single-largest federal advocacy event in Washington, D.C., and learn about the issues 600 of our colleagues championed on Capitol Hill.
AOA exposes and challenges VBM lobby group’s latest attacks on optometry
Under pressure from the AOA, the lobbying arm of the vision benefit middleman (VBM) industry—the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP)—has been forced to acknowledge and withdraw inaccurate claims it had been making on Capitol Hill about optometry and pro-patient/pro-doctor legislation.
5 myths—busted—about money, parties and politics in optometry’s advocacy
Your most common, controversial misperceptions about advocacy are explained as optometry’s advocates play myth-busters ahead of the AOA's single-largest federal advocacy event, AOA on Capitol Hill.
Get the inside scoop on the issues at play for AOA on Capitol Hill
The AOA’s single-largest annual advocacy event in Washington, D.C., connects optometry’s leaders with our nation’s leaders. Learn more about the issues and how you can join, Sept. 28-30.