WESTERMAN COSPONSORS BILL TO ENSURE TIMELY ACCESS TO VETERAN CARE

Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) is joining Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-18) as a cosponsor of the SCHEDULES Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure timely treatment for veterans seeking specialty care at the VA.

“Veterans from the 4th District and nationwide have earned the right to receive the highest quality care, benefits, and services. It’s entirely unacceptable that veterans who risked their lives in service to our country are often left in painful and life-threatening situations, for sometimes weeks and months on end, while they wait for the VA to provide the care they need,” said Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “I’m proud to support this legislation alongside a bipartisan, bicameral group of my colleagues to ensure that veterans will always receive essential care and services in a timely manner.”

“As a veteran, I understand how challenging the VA can be to navigate, especially while experiencing a health crisis,” said Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-18). “Far too often, vets suffer in painful or threatening situations waiting for a scheduled specialty care visit.  That’s unacceptable. Veterans have earned the highest quality care, and Congress must hold the VA accountable to provide it quickly and reliably. This important bill would ensure the VA swiftly provides, not just schedules, needed care. I thank Senator Scott and Ossoff for leading this effort in the Senate.”

Background:

In 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) updated their process for scheduling specialty care appointments at VA facilities and with community care providers. Appointments at VA facilities must be scheduled within three business days from the date a VA provider enters a referral and community care appointments must be scheduled within 7 days. Last year, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported the VA’s failure to meet these standards broadly. GAO found only 10% of VA Medical Centers scheduled greater than 75% of their appointments within the standard. The VA also has no established standard for providing timely care once an appointment is scheduled.

The Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services (SCHEDULES) Act requires the Secretary of the VA to:

• Establish a standard timeline for care from the moment a referral is entered until the veteran is seen for the related issue.
• Report to Congress quarterly on their progress implementing the new standard.
• Provide transparency and a performance ranking of each facility.

Supporting Organizations: the Blinded Veterans Association and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Click here to view the full bill text.