This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to create a clear timing standard for how long it should take from the date a referral for care is entered into the VA care coordination system to the date the veteran has an appointment. The standard covers care provided at VA facilities and care provided by community providers. The Secretary may change the standard as scheduling processes change, but must publish any new or changed standard in the Federal Register and on the VA website at least 30 days before it takes effect.
The VA must report to Congress at least quarterly on how many referrals meet the standard. Each quarterly report must show, by VA facility, the number and percentage of referrals that meet: (1) the overall standard; (2) a three-business-day scheduling standard for appointments at VA facilities; and (3) a seven-calendar-day scheduling standard for community care. Reports must break those results down by the five (or more) most in-demand categories of care at each facility (for example, mental health, cardiology, neurology, oncology). The VA must also publish a ranked list of all medical centers from best to worst at meeting the standard, including a breakdown by State.
At least once a year the report must include aggregated data for the previous four quarters and a description of steps the VA has taken to improve timeliness and an estimate of when the VA will be fully compliant with the standard. All reports must be made publicly available on the Veterans Health Administration website.
If you use VA care, the VA will have an official timing standard for how long scheduling should take after a referral. The VA must publish that standard and provide quarterly reports and a ranked list of medical centers on the VHA website. The reports will show facility-level and service-category data on how many referrals met the stated scheduling benchmarks, including a three-business-day benchmark for VA facilities and a seven-calendar-day benchmark for community care.
No publicly available information on costs or funding. The bill text does not include estimates of costs, required appropriations, or funding sources.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.