[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3482 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3482
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
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Community Care Scheduling
Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS UNDER THE VETERANS COMMUNITY CARE
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--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 by striking
subsection (d) and inserting the following new subsection (d):
``(d) Program on Scheduling Appointments With Community Care
Providers by Employees of the Department Through Information Technology
System.--(1) Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
the Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act, the Secretary
shall, instead of the process under subsection (a), carry out a program
through which a scheduler of the Department--
``(A) may schedule, for a veteran, an appointment--
``(i) for health care furnished through the
Veterans Community Care Program; and
``(ii) offered by a non-Department health care
provider that participates in the Veterans Community
Care Program and elects to participate in the program
under this subsection; and
``(B) using an information technology system.
``(2) The Secretary shall carry out the program under this
subsection through an existing agreement if practicable.
``(3) The program under this subsection shall, with regards to an
appointment available with a Department provider or a non-Department
provider that participates in the Veterans Community Care Program,
allow a scheduler--
``(A) to view, search, and sort such appointments by type
of care, location, and date;
``(B) to schedule such an appointment;
``(C) to provide referral or authorization documents
directly to a non-Department provider; and
``(D) to perform any other function the Secretary
determines necessary.
``(4) Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the
Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act, the Secretary shall
prescribe regulations under this subsection. Such regulations shall
include a directive to employees at medical centers of the Department
to use the information technology system under this subsection to
schedule appointments described in paragraph (1) instead of the process
under subsection (a) whenever practicable.
``(5) Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the
Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act, the Secretary shall
plan and carry out an outreach campaign to encourage non-Department
providers that participate in the Veterans Community Care Program to
participate in the program under this subsection. Such outreach shall
include the publication of a publicly accessible website of the
Department regarding--
``(A) details of the program;
``(B) how a provider may elect to participate in the
program; and
``(C) a point of contact in the Department regarding the
program.
``(6) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives the following
documents regarding the program under this subsection:
``(A) Not later than 30 days after each determination
described in paragraph (3)(D), a report regarding each function
described in such subparagraph.
``(B) Not later than 30 days after prescription, a copy of
the regulations prescribed under paragraph (4).
``(C) Not later than 30 days after the Secretary formulates
the plan under paragraph (5), a copy of such plan.
``(D) Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of the Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement
Act and every six months thereafter during the following five
years, a report regarding operation of such program during the
six months preceding the date of the report. Such a report
shall include the following:
``(i) The number of non-Department health care
providers who participated in such program.
``(ii) The number of appointments under the
Veterans Community Care Program, scheduled by a
scheduler of the Department, disaggregated by--
``(I) whether the appointment was scheduled
under such program or by the process under
subsection (a);
``(II) category of medical services
provided; and
``(III) month.
``(7) The program under this subsection shall terminate seven years
after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Community Care
Scheduling Improvement Act.''.
(b) 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
added by this section, 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 (a)(1)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``Not later than 60 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs'' and inserting
``The Secretary''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``Department of Veterans Affairs'' and
inserting ``Department'';
(D) 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'';
(E) 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).'';
(F) in the section enumerator, by striking ``sec.''
and inserting ``Sec. ''; and
(G) 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.''.
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