,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,r4 #dceb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of 
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #g1  
#bjaf,received  ,,an ,,act  ,to direct  
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to 
carry out a pilot program establishing a
 patient self-scheduling appointment    
system1 and for other purposes4  #a4    
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,faster ,care for ,veterans ,act of 
#bjaf4  #b4 ,pilot program establishing 
a patient self-scheduling appointment   
system  7a7 ,pilot program ,not later   
than #abj days after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs shall commence a  
pilot program under which veterans use  
an ,internet website or mobile          
application to schedule and confirm     
medical appointments at medical         
facilities of the ,department of        
,veterans ,affairs4  7b7 ,selection of  
locations ,the ,secretary shall select  
not less than three ,veterans           
,integrated ,services ,networks in which

 to carry out the pilot program under   
subsection 7a74  7c7 ,contracts  7#a7   
,authority ,the ,secretary shall seek to
 enter into a contract using competitive
 procedures with one or more contractors
 to provide the scheduling capability   
described in subsection 7a74  7#b7      
,notice of competition ,not later than  
#fj days after the date of the enactment
 of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall     
issue a request for proposals for the   
contract described in paragraph 7#a74   
,such request shall be full and open to 
any contractor that has an existing     
commercially available1 off-the-shelf   
online patient self-scheduling system   
that includes the capabilities specified
 in section #c7;a74  7#c7 ,selection    
,not later than #abj days after the date
 of the enactment of this ,act1 the     
,secretary shall award a contract to one
 or more contractors pursuant to the    
request for proposals under paragraph   
7#b74  7d7 ,duration of pilot program   
7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided by 

paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary shall    
carry out the pilot program under       
subsection 7a7 for an #ah-month period4 
7#b7 ,extension ,the ,secretary may     
extend the duration of the pilot program
 under subsection 7a71 and may expand   
the selection of ,veterans ,integrated  
,services ,networks under subsection    
7b71 if the ,secretary determines that  
the pilot program is reducing the wait  
times of veterans seeking medical care  
and ensuring that more available        
appointment times are filled4  7e7      
,mobile application defined ,in this    
section1 the term mobile application    
means a software program that runs on   
the operating system of a cellular      
telephone1 tablet computer1 or similar  
portable computing device that transmits
 data over a wireless connection4  #c4  
,capabilities of patient self-scheduling
 appointment system  7a7 ,minimum       
capabilities ,the ,secretary of         
,veterans ,affairs shall ensure that the
 patient self-scheduling appointment    

system used in the pilot program under  
section #b1 and any other patient       
self-scheduling appointment system      
developed or used by the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs1 includes1 at a      
minimum1 the following capabilities3    
7#a7 ,capability to schedule1 modify1   
and cancel appointments for primary     
care1 specialty care1 and mental health4
  7#b7 ,capability to support           
appointments for the provision of health
 care regardless of whether such care is
 provided in person or through          
telehealth services4  7#c7 ,capability  
to view appointment availability in real
 time4  7#d7 ,capability to make        
available1 in real time1 appointments   
that were previously filled but later   
cancelled by other patients4  7#e7      
,capability to provide prompts or       
reminders to veterans to schedule       
follow-up appointments4  7#f7           
,capability to be used #bd hours per    
day1 #g days per week4  7#g7 ,capability
 to integrate with the ,veterans ,health

 ,information ,systems and ,technology  
,architecture of the ,department1 or    
such successor information technology   
system4  7b7 ,independent validation and
 verification  7#a7 ,independent entity 
7,a7 ,the ,secretary shall seek to enter
 into an agreement with an appropriate  
non-governmental1 not-for-profit entity 
with expertise in health information    
technology to independently validate and
 verify that the patient self-scheduling
 appointment system used in the pilot   
program under section #b1 and any other 
patient self-scheduling appointment     
system developed or used by the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1      
includes the capabilities specified in  
subsection 7a74  7,b7 ,each independent 
validation and verification conducted   
under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be        
completed as follows3  7i7 ,with respect
 to the validation and verification of  
the patient self-scheduling appointment 
system used in the pilot program under  
section #b1 by not later than #fj days  

after the date on which such pilot      
program commences4  7ii7 ,with respect  
to any other patient self-scheduling    
appointment system developed or used by 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1  
by not later than #fj days after the    
date on which such system is deployed1  
regardless of whether such deployment is
 on a limited basis1 but not including  
any deployments for testing purposes4   
7#b7 ,,gao evaluation  7,a7 ,the        
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall evaluate each validation  
and verification conducted under        
paragraph 7#a74  7,b7 ,not later than   
#cj days after the date on which the    
,comptroller ,general completes an      
evaluation under paragraph 7#a71 the    
,comptroller ,general shall submit to   
the appropriate congressional committees
 a report on such evaluation4  7,c7 ,in 
this paragraph1 the term appropriate    
congressional committees means-- 7i7 the
 ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of  
the ,house of ,representatives and the  

,senate2 and  7ii7 the ,committees on   
,appropriations of the ,house of        
,representatives and the ,senate4  7c7  
,certification  7#a7 ,capabilities      
included ,not later than ,december #ca1 
#bjag1 the ,secretary shall certify to  
the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs  
of the ,house of ,representatives and   
the ,senate that the patient            
self-scheduling appointment system used 
in the pilot program under section #b1  
and any other patient self-scheduling   
appointment system developed or used by 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs as
 of the date of the certification1      
includes the capabilities specified in  
subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,new systems ,if  
the ,secretary develops or begins using 
a new patient self-scheduling           
appointment system that is not covered  
by a certification made under paragraph 
7#a71 the ,secretary shall certify to   
such committees that such new system    
includes the capabilities specified in  
subsection 7a7 by not later than #cj    

days after the date on which the        
,secretary determines to replace the    
previous patient self-scheduling        
appointment system4  7#c7 ,effect of    
capabilities not included ,if the       
,secretary does not make a timely       
certification under paragraph 7#a7 or   
paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary shall    
replace any patient self-scheduling     
appointment system developed by the     
,secretary that is in use with a        
commercially available1 off-the-shelf   
online patient self-scheduling system   
that includes the capabilities specified
 in subsection 7a74  #d4 ,prohibition on
 new appropriations ,no additional funds
 are authorized to carry out the        
requirements of this ,act4 ,such        
requirements shall be carried out using 
amounts otherwise authorized4  ,passed  
the ,house of ,representatives ,december
 #f1 #bjaf4,karen ,l4 ,haas1,clerk