S 607

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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 18, 2025

Ms. Hassan (for herself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

December 2, 2025

Reported by Mr. Moran, with an amendment and an amendment to the title [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an integrated project team to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 “Improving Veteran Access to Care Act”.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTEGRATED PROJECT TEAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Veterans Health Administration and the Office of Information and Technology of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any successor offices or administrations of similar function, shall establish an integrated project team to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (b) Purpose.—The purpose of this section is to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs delivers to patients and employees of the Department in a timely manner the scheduling capabilities developed by the integrated project team established under subsection (a) to immediately improve delivery of care, access to care, customer experience and service, and efficiency with respect to the delivery of care. (c) Objectives.—The objectives of the integrated project team established under subsection (a) are the following: (1) To develop or continue the development of a scheduling system that enables both personnel and patients of the Department of Veterans Affairs to view available appointments for all care furnished by the Department, including— (A) available appointments for all providers of the Department; (B) available appointments at all clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities of the Department; and (C) available appointments at all offices providing patient care within the health care system of the Department, including primary care and all forms of specialty care. (2) To develop or continue the development of a self-service scheduling platform, available for use by all patients of the Department, which shall— (A) enable such patients to view available appointments and fully schedule appointments for all care furnished by the Department, including— (i) appointments for all providers of the Department; (ii) appointments at all clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities of the Department; and (iii) appointments at all offices providing patient care within the health care system of the Department, including primary care and all forms of specialty care; (B) if a referral is required for an appointment, provide a method for the patient to request a referral and subsequently book an appointment if the referral is approved; and (C) provide such patients with the ability to cancel or reschedule appointments. (3) To create a process through which all patients of the Department can telephonically speak with a scheduler who can assist the patient to determine appointment availability and can fully schedule appointments on behalf of the patient for all care furnished by the Department, including— (A) appointments for all providers of the Department; (B) appointments at all clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities of the Department; and (C) appointments at all offices providing patient care within the health care system of the Department, including primary care and all forms of specialty care. (4) To carry out such other functions, oversight, metric development and tracking, change management, cross- Department coordination, and other related matters as the Secretary determines appropriate as it relates to scheduling tools, functions, and operations with respect to health care appointments furnished by the Department. (d) Coordination With Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.— (1) In general.—The integrated project team established under subsection (a) shall carry out the objectives under subsection (c) in consultation and coordination with the deployment schedule and capabilities of the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure a smooth transition to using the tools and features, where relevant and appropriate, that may be created pursuant to this section, along with the features in the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program. (2) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require the integrated project team established under subsection (a), the Veterans Health Administration, or the Office of Information and Technology of the Department to defer or delay the deployment of scheduling capabilities required by this section because of future potential planned capabilities of the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program. (e) Deadlines.— (1) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Veterans Health Administration and the Office of Information and Technology of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any successor office, shall fully establish the integrated project team under subsection

(a). (2) Completion of objectives.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the integrated project team established under subsection (a) shall complete the objectives under subsection (c). (f) Report on Objectives.—If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that an objective under subsection (c), or any feature or service in connection with that objective, cannot be implemented or otherwise incorporated into a final product, the Secretary shall, within 45 days of that determination, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report— (1) detailing that objective, feature, or service and providing an explanation as to why that objective, feature, or service cannot be implemented or incorporated, as the case may be; and (2) setting forth a plan for implementing this section without that objective, feature, or service. (g) Implementation Reports.—Not later than each of one year and two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the progress of the Secretary in fulfilling the requirements of this section, including— (1) costs incurred to implement such requirements as of the date of the report; (2) the expected costs to complete implementation of such requirements (including costs for management and technology); (3) the schedule for deployment of any capabilities developed by the integrated project team established under subsection (a); and (4) goals and metrics achieved, challenges, and lessons learned. (h) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude or impede the ability of a veteran to contact or schedule an appointment directly with a facility or provider through a non-online scheduling process, should the veteran choose to do so. (i) Definitions.—In this section: (1) Appropriate committees of congress.—The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives. (2) Fully schedule.—The term “fully schedule”, with respect to booking an appointment, means that the appointment booking is completed, rather than simply requested.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Improving Veteran Access to Care Act”.

SEC. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF AND REPORT ON EFFORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING.

(a) In General.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including improvements for both patients and employees of the Department responsible for scheduling such appointments.

(b) Elements of Plan.—

(1) In general.—The plan required by subsection (a) shall include—

(A) such actions, resources, technology, and process improvements as the Secretary determines necessary to ensure the Department achieves, in a timely manner, improved delivery of health care, access to health care, customer experience and service relating to the receipt of health care, and efficiency with respect to the delivery of health care; and

(B) a proposed schedule and timeline to carry out such plan.

(2) Objectives.—

(A) In general.—The Secretary shall ensure that the plan required by subsection (a) addresses the following objectives:

(i) To develop or continue the development of a scheduling system that enables both personnel and patients of the Department to view available appointments for care furnished by the Department, including primary care, mental health care, and all forms of specialty care.

(ii) To develop or continue the development of a self-service scheduling platform, available for use by all patients of the Department, which shall—

(I) enable such patients to view available appointments and, subject to the method provided under subclause

(II), fully schedule appointments for all care furnished by the Department;

(II) if a referral is required for an appointment, provide a method for the patient to request a referral and subsequently book an appointment if the referral is approved; and

(III) provide such patients with the ability to cancel or reschedule appointments.

(iii) To create a process through which all patients of the Department can telephonically speak with a scheduler who can assist the patient to determine appointment availability and can fully schedule appointments on behalf of the patient for all care furnished by the Department.

(iv) To carry out such other functions, oversight, metric development and tracking, change management, cross-Department coordination, and other related matters, including improvements to employee-facing information technology, training, and processes, as the Secretary determines appropriate as it relates to scheduling tools, functions, and operations with respect to health care appointments furnished by the Department.

(B) Explanation of inability to implement certain objectives, features, or services.—If the Secretary determines that an objective under subparagraph (A), or any feature or service in connection with that objective, cannot be implemented or otherwise incorporated into a final product pursuant to the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall include with the plan submitted under such subsection a report containing—

(i) an explanation as to why that objective, feature, or service cannot be implemented or incorporated, as the case may be; and

(ii) a plan for implementing the plan required by subsection (a) without that objective, feature, or service.

(c) Implementation.—Not later than two years after submitting to the appropriate committees of Congress the plan required by subsection

(a), the Secretary shall fully implement the plan.

(d) Coordination With Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.—In developing the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that the elements and objectives of such plan set forth under subsection (b) are developed in consideration of the deployment schedule and capabilities of the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program of the Department to ensure a smooth transition to using the tools and features under such plan as relevant and appropriate.

(e) Implementation Reports.—Not later than each of one year and two years after the date on which the Secretary submits the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the progress of the Secretary in implementing such plan, including—

(1) the costs incurred to implement the plan as of the date of the report;

(2) the expected costs to complete implementation of the plan (including costs for management and technology);

(3) the schedule for deployment of any capabilities developed pursuant to the plan; and

(4) the goals and metrics achieved, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing the plan.

(f) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the Secretary to include in the plan required by subsection (a) any technology or process that would preclude or impede the ability of a veteran to contact or schedule an appointment directly with a facility or provider through a non-online scheduling process, should the veteran choose to do so.

(g) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Appropriate committees of congress.—The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(2) Fully schedule.—The term “fully schedule”, with respect to an appointment for health care, means that the appointment booking is completed, rather than simply requested. Amend the title so as to read: “A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a plan to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.”. Calendar No. 272

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 607

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an integrated project team to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

December 2, 2025

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the title