Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Set National Standards for VA Specialty Care Wait Times

Representatives Jimmy Panetta of California and Scott Franklin of Florida introduced a bipartisan bill this week to address delays in specialty care for veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill, titled the Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services (SCHEDULES) Act, would require the VA to set national standards for the period between a referral and the actual appointment for specialty care.

This includes care provided by community providers outside the VA system.

Currently, VA policy mandates that community care appointments be scheduled within seven days of a referral. However, no standard exists for the time from scheduling to receiving treatment. The bill aims to fill this gap by establishing benchmarks for the full referral-to-treatment process.

of veterans receive health care through the VA annually, with specialty care delays representing a persistent issue.

A Government Accountability Office report found that VA medical centers are less likely to meet the seven-day scheduling standard for referrals to community providers compared to internal VA care. These delays affect veterans nationwide, particularly those in rural areas who rely on external providers.

The legislation would introduce public reporting requirements to provide lawmakers and veterans with data on wait times across VA facilities and community networks.

This transparency measure is intended to allow for monitoring and potential adjustments to improve access. The bill does not expand overall care eligibility but focuses on streamlining existing processes.

“Far too often, veterans face lengthy delays to receiving the care they need, especially in rural communities.”