On Wednesday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved broad reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs weeks after it was reported that long treatment delays at VA hospitals allegedly led to the death of 40 vets.

The legislation passed in a bipartisan vote, 93-3, less than two weeks after VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned in midst of the health care scandal, CNN reported.

The infamous VA scandal came to light after it was discovered that tens of thousands veterans were put on long waiting lists in order to get care and that hospital workers falsified paperwork to make delays appear shorter in order to received bonuses.

The bill seeks to increase veterans' access to health care and makes it easier for the VA secretary to fire senior-level executives. It also provides funding to create 26 new VA medical facilities around the country and authorizes $500 million to hire new doctors and nurses. Plus, veterans waiting for care will be allowed to go to outside private physicians, while the VA fits the bill.

Because the Senate bill largely reflects proposals from the House, lawmakers and aides expect the bill to pass fairly easily through the next chamber of congress. The White House also signaled it "strongly supports" the legislation.

"I would think that we would be able to reconcile it (the Senate bill) with the House bills pretty easily," said Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation introduced by Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to AZcentral.com. "What's next? There's still a lot that needs to be done in terms of accountability and process, but the most important part of this one is giving them some choice. This is a big deal."

The Senate passed the bill just hours after the FBI announced that it has launched a criminal investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs. On Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey revealed that the investigation was being spearheaded by the FBI's field office in Phoenix, which he called the "primary locus of the original allegations" being investigated by the VA's Office of Inspector General, reported The Associated Press.

Comey also told the House Judiciary Committee, "We're working with the VA IG to follow it wherever the facts take us."

Officials added that the inspector general is sharing findings with federal prosecutors, and the Justice Department could launch a full-blown criminal probe.