March 26, 2026
Mr. Scott of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a comprehensive standard for timing between referrals and appointments for care from the Department of Veterans Affairs and to submit a report with respect to that standard, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services Act of 2026
or the SCHEDULES Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Establishment of comprehensive standard for timing between referral and appointment for care from Department of Veterans Affairs
(a) Establishment of standard
(1) In general
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a comprehensive standard for timing between the date on which a referral for care for a veteran under the laws administered by the Secretary is entered into the care coordination system of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the date on which an appointment for care for the veteran occurs, whether at a facility of the Department or through care in the community.
(2) Modification
The Secretary may modify the standard established under paragraph (1) as the appointment scheduling processes of the Department for care at a facility of the Department or through care in the community are updated.
(3) Publication
Not later than 30 days before establishing under paragraph (1) or modifying under paragraph (2) the comprehensive standard required under this subsection, the Secretary shall publish such standard in the Federal Register and on a publicly available website of the Department.
(b) Report
(1) In general
Not less frequently than quarterly, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the number and percentage of referrals from the Department to facilities of the Department or providers in the community that meet the standard under subsection (a).
(2) Elements
Each report submitted under paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A)
The number and percentage of total referrals from each facility of the Department that meet, for the quarter covered by the report—
(i)
the standard under subsection (a);
(ii)
with respect to referrals to a facility of the Department, the three-business-day standard for scheduling an appointment at a facility of the Department; and
(iii)
with respect to referrals for care in the community, the seven-calendar-day standard for scheduling an appointment for care in the community.
(B)
The number and percentage of referrals from each facility of the Department that meet each of the standards specified in subparagraph (A), disaggregated by each of the five, or more, most in-demand categories of care provided at such facility (such as mental health, cardiology, neurology, oncology, etc.).
(C)
A list of all medical centers of the Department ranked from best to worst in meeting the standard under subsection (a), including a disaggregated list by State.
(3) Annually included information
Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall include in the report required under paragraph (1)—
(A)
aggregated data for the four-quarter period preceding the date of the report; and
(B)
a description of steps taken by the Department to improve the timeliness of the provision of care by the Department and an estimate of when the Department will be fully compliant with the standard under subsection (a).
(4) Public availability
The Secretary shall make each report required under paragraph (1) publicly available on a website of the Veterans Health Administration.