Sponsors (2)
The bill increases veterans' access to timely mental‑health care through required outbound rescheduling calls, trading improved continuity and potential cost savings for added VA staff time, paperwork, and the risk of leaving behind veterans without reliable phone access.
Veterans who miss or have cancelled mental‑health appointments are more likely to get timely care because the VA must make outbound calls to reschedule, improving access to needed treatment.
Proactive outreach (minimum two call attempts) helps veterans and patients with chronic conditions reengage with care, reducing treatment gaps and improving continuity of care.
By reducing missed follow‑up and interruptions in mental‑health treatment, the policy may lower downstream clinical and system costs for hospitals and VA health services.
The VA will need to allocate staff time and calling resources to outbound outreach, which could increase administrative costs or divert personnel from other services.
Telephone‑only outreach may miss veterans who lack reliable phone access or who prefer other contact methods, limiting the policy's effectiveness for rural and otherwise disconnected populations.
Rigid implementation could create compliance burdens — tracking attempts and documenting calls — that add paperwork and operational strain for VA clinics and staff.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires VA to call enrolled veterans to attempt rescheduling cancelled mental health appointments and to make at least one additional call if needed.
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to try to reschedule cancelled VA mental health appointments for enrolled veterans by calling the veteran by phone and, if the veteran does not reschedule on the first call, making at least one additional telephone call. Applies to veterans enrolled under 38 U.S.C. §1705(a) and covers appointment cancellations regardless of why the appointment was cancelled.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the ability of veterans to make appointments for mental health care furnished by the Secretary.
Introduced March 18, 2025 by Bryan Steil · Last progress March 18, 2025