What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to schedule appointments for veterans over the telephone during the same call when a veteran requests one. The bill applies to health care appointments at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The bill is called the "VA Same-Day Scheduling Act of 2023."
Who It Affects
* Veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system
* The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
* Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities
Key Provisions
* The Secretary must ensure that when a covered veteran calls to request an appointment for hospital care or medical services at a VA medical facility, the appointment scheduling happens during that same telephone call, regardless of when the actual appointment is scheduled for (Sec. 2(a))
* A "covered veteran" is defined as a veteran who is enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system (Sec. 2(b))
What Changes
The bill adds new requirements to Chapter 17 of federal law that govern how the Department of Veterans Affairs manages health care. It creates a new section requiring same-day telephone scheduling of appointments. It also reorganizes existing sections by renaming one section and moving another.
Important Definitions
* "Covered veteran" means a veteran enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system
Effective Date
120 days after the bill becomes law
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 41
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to ensure the timely scheduling of appointments for health care
at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 9, 2023
Mr. BAIRD (for himself, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. MAST, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr.
BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. FOXX, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mrs. HINSON, and Ms.
HOULAHAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the timely sched-
uling of appointments for health care at medical facilities
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Same-Day Sched-
4
uling Act of 2023’’.
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•HR 41 IH
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR TIMELY SCHEDULING OF AP-
1
POINTMENTS AT MEDICAL FACILITIES OF DE-
2
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
3
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Chapter 17 of title 38, United
4
States Code, is amended—
5
(1) by redesignating section 1706A as section
6
1706B; and
7
(2) by inserting after section 1706 the following
8
new section:
9
‘‘§ 1706A. Management of health care: timely sched-
10
uling of appointments at Department fa-
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cilities
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‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT
FOR SCHEDULING.—In man-
13
aging the provision of hospital care and medical services
14
at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs
15
under this chapter, the Secretary shall ensure that when-
16
ever a covered veteran contacts the Department by tele-
17
phone to request the scheduling of an appointment for
18
care or services for the covered veteran at such a facility,
19
the scheduling for the appointment occurs during that
20
telephone call (regardless of the prospective date of the
21
appointment being scheduled).
22
‘‘(b) COVERED VETERAN DEFINED.—In this section,
23
the term ‘covered veteran’ means a veteran who is enrolled
24
in the system of patient enrollment of the Department
25
under section 1705(a) of this title.’’.
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•HR 41 IH
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
1
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by striking
2
the item relating to section 1706A and inserting the fol-
3
lowing new items:
4
‘‘1706A. Management of health care: timely scheduling of appointments at De-
partment facilities.
‘‘1706B. Remediation of medical service lines.’’.
(c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub-
5
section (a) shall apply with respect to requests for appoint-
6
ment scheduling occurring on or after the date that is 120
7
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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Æ
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