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HR 2229119th CongressIn Committee
No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act
Introduced: Mar 18, 2025
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to actively try to reschedule mental health appointments for veterans who cancel. Specifically, if a covered veteran—defined as a veteran enrolled in VA’s patient enrollment system—cancels a mental health appointment, the VA must attempt to reschedule by contacting the veteran by telephone. If the first call does not result in rescheduling, the VA must make at least one additional telephone contact to try to reschedule. The bill uses a targeted approach to reduce gaps in mental health care for enrolled veterans.
Key Points
- 1When a VA mental health appointment is canceled by the veteran, the VA must seek to reschedule it.
- 2The rescheduling effort must be conducted by telephone.
- 3If the first call doesn’t reschedule the appointment, the VA must make at least one more telephone contact to attempt rescheduling.
- 4The requirement applies to “covered veterans,” defined as those enrolled in VA’s patient enrollment system (38 U.S.C. § 1705(a)).
- 5The measure is titled the “No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act,” signaling its aim to improve continuity of care for veterans’ mental health services.
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected: Veterans enrolled in the VA system who receive mental health care.Secondary group/area affected: VA scheduling/administrative operations, including staffing and processes for patient outreach and appointment rescheduling.Additional impacts: Potential cost implications for increased phone outreach and staffing; potential improvements in continuity of mental health treatment and outcomes; considerations around privacy and consent related to telephonic outreach.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025