A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes.

This bill would create a national External Provider Scheduling Program within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help schedule appointments for care and services that veterans receive through the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The program would use technology that lets VA schedulers view the calendars of external providers participating in the VCCP and book appointments in real time. The VA would implement the program using an existing contract if feasible or a new contract, with the goal of reducing wait times from referral to appointment and reducing the time schedulers spend arranging appointments. The bill also requires annual progress reports to Congress through 2028 and mandates that the program be available to all VA medical centers by September 30, 2025. It adds conforming amendments to the U.S. Code to reference the new program.