Veterans Patient Advocacy Act
Source: Congress.gov ·
427 words in original text
What This Bill Does
This bill changes how the Department of Veterans Affairs assigns patient advocates at its medical facilities. A patient advocate is someone who helps veterans navigate the healthcare system and resolve problems. The bill requires the VA to ensure there are enough patient advocates and that rural veterans can access them.
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Who It Affects
- Veterans enrolled in the VA health system
- The Department of Veterans Affairs and its medical facilities
- Rural veterans specifically
- The Comptroller General of the United States (an independent government auditor)
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Key Provisions
- The VA Director must ensure there is at least one patient advocate for every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the VA system, beginning one year after this law takes effect (Sec. 2(a)(2))
- Highly rural veterans must be able to access patient advocate services, including having patient advocates assigned to rural community-based outpatient clinics when practical (Sec. 2(a)(2))
- The Comptroller General must submit a report to Congress evaluating how well the VA implemented these new patient advocate requirements (Sec. 2(b))
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the VA will have to hire more patient advocates to meet the ratio requirement and make sure those advocates serve rural areas. The VA will also be required to track and report on whether they are meeting these standards.
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Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
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Effective Date
One year after the date the law is enacted for the patient advocate staffing requirements (Sec. 2(a)(2)). Two years after enactment for the government audit report (Sec. 2(b)).
Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only.
It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov
or a qualified attorney for legal matters.