Reported in House

[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.

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

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

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.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENT OF PENSION.

Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by

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