A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes.
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Would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop or procure real-time scheduling technology so that VA staff can view community care providers' schedules and book appointments directly, aiming to cut the time between a veteran's referral and an actual appointment.
The bill targets a persistent pain point in VA community care: scheduling delays that arise because VA schedulers cannot see outside providers' availability in real time.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the Veterans Community Care Program statute (38 U.S.C. § 1703) to require the VA Secretary to develop or procure technology systems enabling VA schedulers to view, in real time, the appointment availability of community health care providers participating in the program and to book appointments directly. The VA could fulfill this requirement through an existing contract or a new one. The Secretary would be required to pursue these systems with the explicit intent of reducing both the number of days from a veteran's referral date to a scheduled appointment and the time it takes VA schedulers to complete the scheduling task. The Secretary would also have to submit annual progress reports to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees each year through 2028.
The bill would not appropriate new dedicated funds, set a hard deadline by which the technology must be operational at all VA medical centers, or change eligibility criteria for the Veterans Community Care Program itself. Implementation would rely on existing or new procurement contracts at the VA's discretion.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the VA Secretary to develop or procure technology systems allowing VA schedulers to view community care providers' schedules and book appointments in real time, to the extent practicable.
- 2Would allow the VA to meet the technology requirement through an existing contract, if feasible, or a new procurement contract.
- 3Would direct the Secretary to pursue the scheduling systems with the intent of reducing days from referral to scheduled appointment and hours for VA schedulers to complete bookings.
- 4Would require annual reports to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on implementation progress, through September 30, 2028.
Who would be affected
Veterans enrolled in the Veterans Community Care Program who are referred to outside health care providers — particularly those experiencing long waits between referral and a booked appointment. VA schedulers at medical centers nationwide who would use the new technology. Community health care providers participating in the program whose scheduling systems would need to be viewable in the VA platform.
Why it matters
Scheduling delays in the Veterans Community Care Program have been a documented frustration for veterans who need outside care. If the technology is successfully developed and deployed, veterans could move from referral to appointment faster and VA schedulers could handle more bookings more efficiently. The annual reporting requirement gives Congress visibility into whether the VA is actually making progress on implementation.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1703 (Veterans Community Care Program) (Sec. 1)
Adds new subsection (q) requiring real-time provider scheduling technology and annual progress reports; redesignates existing subsection (q) as (r); adds conforming references to the new scheduling systems.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Annual progress reports on scheduling systems due to Congress
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates S. 654 would have no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit, with discretionary spending (subject to appropriation) of less than $500,000 over the 2025–2035 period.
CBO estimates that S. 654 would have no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, revenues, or the federal deficit over the 2025–2035 period. The bill would require the VA to implement an IT scheduling system enabling staff to view appointment availability with outside medical providers, but because such a system is already being deployed under current law, its costs would occur regardless of the bill. The only new cost — satisfying an annual reporting requirement to Congress through 2028 — is estimated at less than $500,000 in discretionary spending (funding that would need to be appropriated by Congress). CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The VA Secretary would develop or procure the scheduling technology, preferably through an existing contract but with authority to enter a new one. No hard operational deadline is set in the reported text. The Secretary must submit annual progress reports to the Veterans' Affairs committees of both chambers by September 30 each year through 2028, providing a congressional oversight mechanism. No rulemaking requirement is specified; procurement decisions would be at the Secretary's discretion within the statutory intent to reduce wait times.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 274.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a national External Provider Scheduling Program to assist the VA in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The program must consist of technology that allows VA schedulers to view the schedules of health care providers participating in the VCCP in real time.
The VA must ensure the program reduces the time (1) from referral to the actual scheduling of appointments for care or services, and (2) for VA schedulers to schedule appointments for care or services.
The VA must also ensure the program is available to all VA medical centers by September 30, 2025.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; Health care coverage and access; Health programs administration and funding; Public contracts and procurement; Veterans' medical care