Requirement for timely scheduling of appointments at medical facilities of Department of Veterans Affairs

(a) Requirement Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating section 1706A as section 1706B; and (2) by inserting after section 1706 the following new section: 1706A. Management of health care: timely scheduling of appointments at Department facilities (a) Requirement for scheduling In managing the provision of hospital care and medical services at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs under this chapter, the Secretary shall ensure that whenever a covered veteran contacts the Department by telephone to request the scheduling of an appointment for care or services for the covered veteran at such a facility, the scheduling for the appointment occurs during that telephone call (regardless of the prospective date of the appointment being scheduled). (b) Covered veteran defined In this section, the term covered veteran means a veteran who is enrolled in the system of patient enrollment of the Department under section 1705(a) of this title. (c) Sunset This section shall terminate on the date that is three years after the date of the enactment of the VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act.. (b) Clerical amendment The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the item relating to section 1706A and inserting the following new items: 1706A. Management of health care: timely scheduling of appointments at Department facilities. 1706B. Remediation of medical service lines.. (c) Applicability The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to requests for appointment scheduling occurring on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.