Yes...its true...some of us do have prescriptive authority, but very restricted & not uniform state-by-state.
Our prescriptive authority falls under collaborative practice agreements with physicians, normally, but not exclusively. We do not diagnose any condition, so that will always limit our prescriptive abilities. It is only one aspect of the many things we do with regard to medication management.
If you need more information than that...you can search these forums for colllaborative practice agreements or pm me....this has been discussed many times here. The federal government (PHS & VA system) function separate from all state licensing laws...so they are a bit different.