# Plain Language Summary: Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act

This bill makes it easier for veterans to get healthcare outside of VA hospitals and clinics when the VA can't provide timely care. Right now, veterans sometimes have to wait weeks for appointments or travel long distances to VA facilities. This bill sets specific standards that the VA must meet, and if they can't, veterans automatically qualify to see doctors in their local communities instead—with the VA covering the costs.

The bill creates clear rules about how quickly veterans should be able to get appointments. For basic care like primary care or mental health services, the VA must schedule you within 20 days and within 30 minutes of your home, or you can go to a community doctor. For specialty care like orthopedic surgery or cardiology, it's 28 days and within 60 minutes of your home. Importantly, the bill says the VA can't count telehealth appointments (video visits) when deciding if they're meeting these standards—you get access to community care based on in-person availability. The bill also prevents the VA from shutting down the community care program entirely, protecting veterans' access to this option.

Beyond appointment times, the bill addresses several other healthcare issues for veterans. It creates a pilot program to let veterans schedule their own community care appointments online, similar to how you'd book an appointment through your regular insurance. It requires the VA to improve telehealth services and transportation options for rural veterans who live far from VA facilities. The bill also expands mental health services, including exploring new treatments for depression-resistant cases, and looks into whether veterans living in the Philippines can get better caregiver support. Finally, it requires the VA to create an online education portal so veterans can learn about their healthcare benefits more easily.

Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act

Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act This bill addresses the administration and provision of health care to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA providers. First, the bill provides statutory authority for the eligibility thresholds for when a veteran must receive non-VA care under the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) for primary care, mental health care, noninstitutional extended care services, specialty care, or specialty services. Additionally, the bill establishes access to care standards for non-VA care under the VCCP, meaning a veteran's appointment must be within specified distances and time frames. Among other requirements, the VA must also <ul> <li>implement an 18-month pilot program to allow certain veterans to use a website or mobile application to request, schedule, and confirm medical appointments with VCCP providers;</li> <li>ensure that VCCP third party administrators and credentials verification organizations comply with specified requirements to help ensure that certain health care providers are excluded from providing non-VA health care services;</li> <li>develop a strategic plan to ensure the effectiveness of the telehealth technologies and modalities delivered by the VA; and</li> <li>establish an online health care education portal for veterans.</li> </ul> The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on (1) the VA program under which third parties provide transportation for veterans who are seeking VA services or benefits, (2) VA telehealth services, and (3) the VA's Foreign Medical Program. Finally, the Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply to the voluntary collection of information during research conducted by the Veterans Health Administration.