SCHEDULES Act of 2026

This bill, known as the "SCHEDULES Act of 2026," directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a comprehensive standard for the time elapsed between a veteran's referral for care and the actual appointment. This standard will apply universally, covering care provided at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities as well as through community care providers. The Secretary is authorized to modify this standard as the Department's scheduling processes are updated, and any established or modified standard must be published in the Federal Register and on a publicly accessible Department website at least 30 days prior to implementation. Furthermore, the legislation mandates that the Secretary submit quarterly reports to Congress detailing the number and percentage of referrals that meet the established standard. These reports must include specific elements such as disaggregated data by each VA facility, performance against existing three-business-day and seven-calendar-day scheduling standards, and a ranking of medical centers. Annually, these reports must also provide aggregated data for the preceding four quarters, describe the Department's efforts to improve care timeliness, and estimate when full compliance with the new standard will be achieved. All required reports must be made publicly available on the Veterans Health Administration website.