Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB654 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 654
5	5	To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider
6	6	scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in
7	7	scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Com-
8	8	munity Care Program, and for other purposes.
9	9	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
10	10	FEBRUARY20, 2025
11	11	Mr. M
12	12	ORAN(for himself, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. BOOZMAN, and Mr. BUDD) intro-
13	13	duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
14	14	mittee on Veterans’ Affairs
15	15	A BILL
16	16	To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an
17	17	external provider scheduling program to assist the De-
18	18	partment of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments
19	19	for care and services under the Veterans Community
20	20	Care Program, and for other purposes.
21	21	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
22	22	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
23	23	SECTION 1. EXTERNAL PROVIDER SCHEDULING PROGRAM 3
24	24	OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 4
25	25	(a) E
26	26	STABLISHMENT.— 5
27	27	(1) I
28	28	N GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 17 6
29	29	of title 38, United States Code, is amended by in-7
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32	32	•S 654 IS
33	33	serting after section 1703G the following new sec-1
34	34	tion: 2
35	35	‘‘§ 1703H. External Provider Scheduling Program 3
36	36	‘‘(a) I
37	37	NGENERAL.—There is established within the 4
38	38	Department a national External Provider Scheduling Pro-5
39	39	gram (in this section referred to as the ‘Program’) to as-6
40	40	sist the Department in scheduling appointments for care 7
41	41	and services under the Veterans Community Care Pro-8
42	42	gram under section 1703 of this title. 9
43	43	‘‘(b) E
44	44	LEMENTS OFPROGRAM.—The Program shall 10
45	45	consist of technology that allows schedulers of the Depart-11
46	46	ment to view the schedules of health care providers partici-12
47	47	pating in the Veterans Community Care Program under 13
48	48	section 1703 of this title and schedule, in real-time, ap-14
49	49	pointments for care and services under such section. 15
50	50	‘‘(c) U
51	51	SE OFCONTRACTS.—The Secretary shall carry 16
52	52	out the Program through an existing contract entered into 17
53	53	by the Department, if feasible, or a new contract. 18
54	54	‘‘(d) R
55	55	EDUCTION INWAITTIMES.—The Secretary 19
56	56	shall ensure that the Program— 20
57	57	‘‘(1) reduces the time (measured in days) from 21
58	58	referral of veterans to health care providers under 22
59	59	the Veterans Community Care Program under sec-23
60	60	tion 1703 of this title to the actual scheduling of ap-24
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63	63	•S 654 IS
64	64	pointments for care or services under such section; 1
65	65	and 2
66	66	‘‘(2) reduces the time (measured in days and 3
67	67	hours) for schedulers of the Department to schedule 4
68	68	appointments for care or services under such section. 5
69	69	‘‘(e) A
70	70	NNUALREPORT.—Not later than September 6
71	71	30 of each year through 2028, the Secretary shall submit 7
72	72	to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 8
73	73	the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep-9
74	74	resentatives a report on the progress of the Secretary in 10
75	75	establishing the Program.’’. 11
76	76	(2) C
77	77	LERICAL AMENDMENT .—The table of sec-12
78	78	tions at the beginning of chapter 17 of title 38, 13
79	79	United States Code, is amended by inserting after 14
80	80	the item relating to section 1703G the following new 15
81	81	item: 16
82	82	‘‘1703H. External Provider Scheduling Program.’’.
83	83	(b) AVAILABILITY OFPROGRAM.—The Secretary of 17
84	84	Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the national External 18
85	85	Provider Scheduling Program established under section 19
86	86	1703H of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub-20
87	87	section (a)(1), is available to all medical centers of the 21
88	88	Department of Veterans Affairs by not later than Sep-22
89	89	tember 30, 2025. 23
90	90	(c) C
91	91	ONFORMINGAMENDMENTS.—Section 1703 of 24
92	92	title 38, United States Code, is amended— 25
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96	96	(1) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘, in-1
97	97	cluding pursuant to the program under section 2
98	98	1703H of this title,’’ after ‘‘medical appointments’’; 3
99	99	and 4
100	100	(2) in subsection (h)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘, in-5
101	101	cluding pursuant to the program under section 6
102	102	1703H of this title’’ before the period at the end. 7
103	103	Æ
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