Pulaski Times

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Maggie Hassan have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at simplifying the medical appointment scheduling process for veterans. As members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, they seek to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) current system with the proposed Improving Veteran Access to Care Act.

The legislation intends to create a streamlined scheduling system that allows veterans to arrange multiple visits and appointments through a single phone call or online visit. Currently, veterans must individually contact clinics for each appointment, which can be cumbersome.

“I’m proud to work in a bipartisan way to help ensure the VA is providing the resources and care our former servicemembers deserve,” stated Boozman. “Creating a one-stop tool for veterans’ medical appointment scheduling will remove inefficiencies and ensure their care is available, accessible and convenient.”

Hassan echoed this sentiment: “Our veterans deserve a health care system that respects their time and meets their needs, but the current appointment scheduling process is unnecessarily complex, particularly for rural veterans traveling great distances for care. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation will create a one-stop scheduling solution that will make it easier for veterans in New Hampshire and across the country to access the quality care that they’ve earned and deserve.”

The Improving Veteran Access to Care Act would mandate several changes within the VA:

- Establishing an integrated project team to coordinate with existing VA improvement projects.

- Enabling both VA personnel and patients to view available appointments for all VA-based care.

- Creating an online self-service platform for finding and scheduling VA health care appointments.

- Implementing a telephone process allowing patients to make a single call for appointment scheduling.

This legislative effort has garnered support from numerous Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, and Disabled American Veterans.

Jon Retzer from Disabled American Veterans praised the initiative: “By establishing an integrated project team, the ‘Improving Veteran Access to Care Act’ aims to revolutionize the scheduling process for health care appointments within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This initiative focuses on timely delivery of care, enhanced access, improved customer experience, and greater efficiency, ultimately providing our veterans with the quality care they deserve."

Retzer also thanked Senators Hassan and Boozman for introducing this legislation which seeks timely access to necessary health services for veterans.