Sunshine Sentinel

WASHINGTON, D.C.— On January 17, 2024, Senator Rick Scott introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services (SCHEDULES) Act. This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a comprehensive standard for timing between referrals and appointments for care at VA facilities and to submit a report with respect to that standard. This legislation is based on reports from the Government Accountability Office that highlighted issues related to timeliness in accessing care for veterans. Senator Jon Ossoff is co-leading the legislation, and Congressman Scott Franklin is leading the charge in the House of Representatives. This legislation has been endorsed by the Blinded Veterans Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Senator Rick Scott said, “Millions of veterans rely on the VA, and it is critical that our VA providers are accountable and responsive in delivering essential, and often life-saving, health care. My bill, the SCHEDULES Act, will increase transparency within the VA to require uniform standards across the board so veterans have more insight into when their appointments will be scheduled. As a Navy veteran myself and the son of a WWII veteran, I know that our veterans have sacrificed so much for our freedoms, and they should never be forced to play a guessing game of when they will be taken care of.” 

Senator Jon Ossoff said, “Georgia veterans are still having to wait way too long to get health care through the VA. This bipartisan bill will help hold the VA accountable to meet clear and transparent targets for reduced wait times.”

Senator Ted Cruz said, Veterans should never have to wait a long time after a referral before receiving health care. We must ensure the great Americans who dedicated themselves to protect us abroad receive essential care in a timely manner here at home. I am proud to join Sens. Rick Scott and Ossoff in working to reform this issue at the VA.”

Congressman Scott Franklin said, “As a veteran, I understand how challenging the VA can be to navigate, especially while experiencing a health crisis. 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 for leading this effort in the Senate.”

Jose Ramos, Executive Director and Vice President for Government and Community Relations at the Wounded Warrior Project, said, “Projected to treat more than 7 million veteran patients in 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a tremendous responsibility to deliver high-quality health care on a timely basis. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) appreciates this challenge but also knows that scheduling appointments, especially for specialty care when it is critical that services be delivered quickly, can often take longer than it should. Fortunately, the SCHEDULES Act will help create standards to ensure veterans get their care sooner. WWP thanks Senator Rick Scott for his leadership on this important issue and calls on Congress to pass the SCHEDULES Act and help veterans get the timely support and care they have earned. 

Donald D. Overton, Jr., the Executive Director of the congressionally chartered Blinded Veterans Association, said, “For some time now, the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) has been troubled by the inability of VA Medical Centers to adhere to the Veterans Health Administration’s own standard for scheduling community care appointments within a given timeframe. We welcome and fully support Senator Scott’s initiative in introducing the SCHEDULES Act of 2023 to bring attention and accountability to a current inadequacy that negatively affects many of our blind and low vision veterans in need of immediate care.” 

Nancy Espinosa, National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, said, “ When disabled veterans walk into a VA medical facility, they do so with the understanding that they will receive access to the timely, high-quality health care that our nation has promised. Establishing a comprehensive standard for timing between referrals and appointments through the SCHEDULES Act of 2023 is one way to ensure that promise is kept. DAV proudly supports this bill and applauds Sen. Scott for his leadership in introducing this important legislation.”

The SCHEDULES Act:

• Requires the Secretary of the VA to establish a comprehensive standard for timing between the date on which a referral for care is entered into the Care Coordination System and the date on which the appointment for that referral occurs;
• Requires a quarterly report to Congress on the number of referrals that meet the standard the VA sets; and
• Requires a ranking of VA medical centers from best to worst on meeting the standard set by the VA.

Original source can be found here.