The SCHEDULES Act would require the VA to set a single, published standard for how long veterans should wait between getting a referral and actually getting their appointment, whether that care happens at a VA facility or through a community provider. The VA would have to publish the standard in the Federal Register and on its website at least 30 days before it takes effect. Every quarter, the Secretary would report to Congress and the public on how each VA medical center is performing against that standard, broken out by the top categories of care like mental health, cardiology, and oncology, and ranked best to worst. Annually, the report would also describe what the VA is doing to improve and when it expects to be fully compliant.
Transparency & Accountability
- VA wait-time reporting — Quarterly public reports required on referral-to-appointment timing
- Facility-level disclosure — VA medical centers ranked best-to-worst against the standard, including by state
- Care-category transparency — Performance disaggregated by top categories such as mental health, cardiology, and oncology
Congressional Summary
Scheduling for Community Health and Easy Data to Understand for Legislators to Evaluate Services Act of 2026 or the SCHEDULES Act of 2026This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a standard for timing between the date on which a referral for VA care is entered into the VA's system and the date on which an appointment for care occurs, whether at a VA facility or through care in the community.The VA must publish the standard in the Federal Register and on a publicly accessible VA website. Additionally, the VA must submit a report at least quarterly on the number and percentage of referrals that meet the new timing standard.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-03-26
- Date Added
- 2026-04-28
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