Summary
A new bipartisan bill aims to improve the healthcare services veterans receive through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by setting national standards for the time between a referral and treatment. This legislation intends to address delays in specialty care for veterans both within the VA system and through external community providers.
Key Facts
- The bill is called the Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services (SCHEDULES) Act.
- It seeks to establish a national timing standard for how long veterans should wait between getting a referral and their specialty care appointment.
- The proposal was introduced by Representatives Jimmy Panetta of California and Scott Franklin of Florida.
- Current VA rules require community care appointments to be scheduled within seven days, but there's no standard for the time to actual treatment.
- The bill aims to improve access and accountability for millions of veterans relying on VA healthcare.
- It includes public reporting requirements to provide better insights into wait times.
- The Government Accountability Office found that VA centers are less likely to meet scheduling standards for community provider care than for in-system care.
- A companion bill is being led in the Senate by GOP Senator Rick Scott of Florida.
