Improving Veteran Access to Care Act

This bill, titled the "Improving Veteran Access to Care Act," requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an integrated project team within the Veterans Health Administration and the Office of Information and Technology. The primary purpose of this team is to significantly improve the process for scheduling healthcare appointments for veterans. This initiative aims to enhance the timely delivery of care, improve access to services, elevate the customer experience, and increase efficiency within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The integrated project team is tasked with several key objectives. These include developing a comprehensive scheduling system that allows both VA personnel and patients to view all available appointments across all providers, clinics, and types of care. Furthermore, the team must create a self-service scheduling platform enabling patients to fully schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments, including a mechanism for referral requests. The bill also mandates a process for veterans to speak directly with a scheduler by phone for assistance. The team's efforts must coordinate with the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, but without causing delays in deploying new scheduling capabilities. The team must be established within 180 days, and its objectives completed within one year of the bill's enactment. The Secretary is required to report to Congress on implementation progress and any objectives that cannot be met, ensuring transparency and accountability. Importantly, the bill clarifies that veterans retain the option to schedule appointments directly through non-online methods.