SCHEDULES Act of 2026

This legislation requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a comprehensive standard for the maximum allowable time between a veteran's referral for care and the date of their appointment, whether at a Department facility or through community care. This standard must be published in the Federal Register and on a publicly accessible Department website at least 30 days before its implementation or any subsequent modification. The bill further mandates the Secretary to submit quarterly reports to Congress, detailing the number and percentage of referrals that meet this newly established standard. These reports must include specific data, such as compliance rates for each Department facility, disaggregated by the five most in-demand categories of care like mental health or cardiology. Additionally, the reports are required to rank all VA medical centers based on their performance in meeting the standard, including a State-by-State breakdown. Annually, the Secretary must provide aggregated data for the preceding year and describe the steps being taken to improve care timeliness, along with an estimated date for full compliance with the standard. All these reports must be made publicly available on the Veterans Health Administration website.