[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3482 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 496
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3482
[Report No. 119-576]
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an online program
through which an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs may
schedule an appointment for a covered veteran with a non-Department
health care provider under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 19, 2025
Mr. Barrett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
March 30, 2026
Additional sponsor: Ms. Budzinski
March 30, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 19,
2025]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an online program
through which an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs may
schedule an appointment for a covered veteran with a non-Department
health care provider under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Community Care Scheduling
Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS UNDER THE VETERANS COMMUNITY CARE
PROGRAM.
(a) Electronic Process.--Subsection (d) of section 3101 of the
Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits
Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is
amended to read as follows:
``(d) Electronic Process.--(1) The Secretary shall implement an
electronic process through which a scheduler of the Department, using
an information technology system, may schedule an appointment for
health care furnished by the Department or through the Veterans
Community Care Program, under section 1703 of this title, by a non-
Department health care provider.
``(2) The electronic process under this subsection shall allow a
scheduler, with regards to appointments described in--
``(A) either clause of subparagraph (A) of subsection
(a)(1), to view, search, and sort such appointments by type of
care, location, and date; and
``(B) clause (ii) of such subparagraph--
``(i) to schedule such an appointment;
``(ii) to provide referral and authorization
documents directly to a non-Department provider; and
``(iii) to perform any other function the Secretary
determines necessary.
``(3) The Secretary shall ensure that the electronic process allows
a scheduler to schedule an appointment for health care furnished by the
Secretary through a health care provider of the Department.
``(4) The Secretary shall implement the electronic process through
an existing agreement if practicable.
``(5) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives the following
regarding the electronic process:
``(A) Not later than 90 days after the Secretary makes a
determination under subparagraph (B)(iii) of paragraph (2), a
briefing regarding the functions the Secretary has determined
necessary.
``(B) Not later than six months after the date of the
enactment of Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement
Act, and semiannually thereafter during the following three
years, a report regarding operation of the electronic process
during both the semiannual period preceding the date of the
report and the cumulative period since the date of the
enactment of such Act. Such a report shall include the
following for each such period:
``(i) The number of non-Department health care
providers that participated in such electronic process,
disaggregated by--
``(I) category of hospital care or medical
services provided; and
``(II) medical center of the Department;
``(ii) The number of appointments scheduled
pursuant to the electronic process, disaggregated by--
``(I) category of hospital care or medical
services provided;
``(II) medical center of the Department;
and
``(III) month.
``(iii) A comparison of the average wait time for
appointments scheduled through the electronic process
and through non-electronic methods, disaggregated by
medical center of the Department.
``(iv) The rates at which veterans cancelled
appointments scheduled through the electronic process.
``(v) The rates at which veterans did not appear
for appointments scheduled through the electronic
process.''.
(b) Implementation.--
(1) Date.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
implement the electronic process under subsection (d) of
section 1703H of such title, as added by this section, not
later than two years after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(2) Guidelines.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall establish guidelines. Such guidelines shall include the
following:
(A) Procedures for schedulers and other employees
of the Department involved in the scheduling of
appointments described in such section.
(B) A directive that employees described in
subparagraph (A) use the electronic process to the
extent practicable.
(C) A directive that employees described in
subparagraph (A), when scheduling an appointment for a
covered veteran (as such term is used in section 1703
of such title) for health care furnished by the
Secretary, inform such covered veteran of available
appointments though providers of the Department and
through providers under the Veterans Community Care
Program when eligible.
(D) Procedures for engaging with non-Department
health care providers in specialized cases.
(E) Standards regarding timeliness and accuracy.
(F) Escalation protocols for scheduling failures or
delays.
(3) Training.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall implement a
mandatory training program for employees described in paragraph
(2) regarding the guidelines under paragraph (2).
(4) Evaluation.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe
performance benchmarks and outcome-based metrics for the
electronic process under such section, including--
(A) time between a referral and a scheduled
appointment;
(B) patient satisfaction; and
(C) the percentage of appointments scheduled
exclusively through the electronic process.
(5) Outreach.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall plan and carry out
an outreach strategy to encourage non-Department of Veterans
Affairs health care providers that participate in the Veterans
Community Care Program to participate in the electronic process
under such subsection. Such outreach shall--
(A) include contacting each such provider during
such 90 days;
(B) include seeking to enter into an agreement with
each such provider under which the provider shall
participate in the electronic process;
(C) include collaborating with State hospital
associations and rural health associations to promote
such participation;
(D) focus on providers in specialties or
underserved areas, as determined by the Secretary; and
(E) include the publication, on a publicly
accessible website of the Department, of information
regarding--
(i) details of the electronic process;
(ii) how a provider may elect to
participate in the electronic process; and
(iii) a point of contact in the Department
regarding the electronic process.
(6) Oversight.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of
Representatives, with regards to the electronic process under
such subsection, the following:
(A) Not later than 30 days after the Secretary
establishes guidelines under paragraph (2) of this
subsection, a copy of such guidelines.
(B) Not later than 30 days after the Secretary
formulates the plan under paragraph (5) of this
subsection, a briefing on the outreach strategy under
such paragraph.
(C) Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the benchmarks and metrics
prescribed under paragraph (4).
(c) Expansion.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a plan to
integrate the scheduling of appointments for health care furnished
through health care providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs
into the electronic process under subsection (d) of section 1703H of
such title. Such plan shall include the following elements:
(1) A timeline to implement such plan.
(2) Estimated costs to carry out such plan.
(3) Changes to policies and procedures of the Department
the Secretary determines necessary to implement such plan.
(d) Codification.--
(1) In general.--Section 3101 of such Act, as amended by
subsection (a), is transferred to subchapter I of chapter 17 of
title 38, United States Code, inserted after section 1703G, and
redesignated as section 1703H.
(2) Conforming amendments.--Section 1703H of such title, as
transferred and redesignated by this subsection, is amended--
(A) by striking any heading that is not a section
heading or subsection heading and conforming the
margins accordingly;
(B) by striking ``of title 38, United States Code''
both places it appears and inserting ``of this title'';
(C) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``Not later
than one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary'' and inserting ``The Secretary'';
(D) in subsection (c)--
(i) in paragraph (1), in the matter
preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``Not
later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary'' and
inserting ``The Secretary''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking
subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting ``The
Secretary shall require each medical facility
of the Department to use the method or tool
described in paragraph (1).'';
(E) in the section enumerator, by striking ``sec.''
and inserting ``Sec. ''; and
(F) in the section heading--
(i) by striking ``process and requirements
for scheduling appointments for health care
from department of veterans affairs and non-
department health care.'' and inserting
``scheduling of appointments''; and
(ii) by conforming the typeface and
typestyle, including capitalization, to the
typeface and typestyle used in the section
heading of section 1703G of such title.
(3) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting, after the
item relating to section 1703G, the following new item:
``1703H. Scheduling of appointments.''.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENT OF PENSION.
Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``January 31, 2033'' and inserting ``June 30, 2033''.
Union Calendar No. 496
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3482
[Report No. 119-576]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an online program
through which an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs may
schedule an appointment for a covered veteran with a non-Department
health care provider under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
March 30, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act
#3482 | HR Congress #119
Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security
Last Action: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 496. (3/30/2026)
Bill Text Source: Congress.gov
Summary and Impacts
Original Text