Bill Details
S.1134 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-03-26 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced Date
2025-03-26
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (1)
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would improve how the Department of Veterans Affairs helps veterans who have problems with their care, especially those living in rural or very rural areas. It would require each VA medical center to assign at least one patient advocate to help coordinate care for these veterans when they are getting services through community clinics or the VA community care network. The bill also strengthens the role of patient advocates by making sure they report through the medical center director and by requiring the VA to share yearly information about the kinds of problems veterans report, how long it takes to resolve them, and other feedback collected in the tracking system.
- Each VA medical center would have to name at least one patient advocate to serve as a coordinator for rural and highly rural veterans.
- That advocate would help veterans who get care outside the main medical center, such as through community-based outpatient clinics or the community care network.
- The bill says VA should use existing staff for this role whenever possible.
- It would also require annual reports on patient advocate data, including common complaints, how long issues take to resolve, how long information requests take, and compliments or complaints received.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1134 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1134
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the Office of Patient
Advocacy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 26, 2025
Mr. Cramer (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the Office of Patient
Advocacy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening VA Patient Advocacy
for Rural Veterans Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF OFFICE OF PATIENT ADVOCACY OF DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Section 7309A of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (i); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new
subsections:
``(f) Coordination of Care in Rural and Highly Rural Areas.--(1)
The director of a medical center of the Department shall designate not
fewer than one patient advocate to serve as the coordinator for
veterans in rural and highly-rural areas served by that medical center
who are receiving care through the broader network of care furnished by
the Department through community-based outpatient clinics or the
community care network.
``(2) An individual designated under paragraph (1) shall carry out
the functions of the patient advocate position specific to supporting
veterans in rural and highly-rural areas receiving care at locations
outside of a medical center of the Department.
``(3) To the maximum extent practicable, the director of a medical
center shall designate existing staff of the medical center to carry
out paragraph (1).
``(g) Inclusion of Medical Center Directors in Chain of
Reporting.--The Director shall ensure that a patient advocate at a
medical center of the Department reports to the director of that
medical center at some point along the reporting line for the patient
advocate.
``(h) Annual Report on Information in Patient Advocate Tracking
System.--(1) Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate, the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the
Director of each Veterans Integrated Service Network a report outlining
information generated through the Patient Advocate Tracking System, or
successor system.
``(2) Each report required under paragraph (1) shall include de-
identified data from the Patient Advocate Tracking System, or successor
system, regarding--
``(A) common issues reported;
``(B) resolution times for such issues;
``(C) resolution times for requests for information; and
``(D) compliments or complaints received under such
system.''.
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