# 119-s-654: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes.

119-s-654, A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-09).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-654
- As of: 2026-07-09
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-654
- Congress: 119
- Title: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes.
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-20
- Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-09

## Summary

**This bill would create a national External Provider Scheduling Program to enable real-time scheduling across VA and community providers.** It aims to centralize appointment booking for the Veterans Community Care Program and shorten waits for care. - Veterans: Appointments through the VA and participating outside providers would be coordinated centrally, with a stated goal of reducing time from referral to scheduled care and lowering scheduler delays. - VA schedulers: The Secretary would develop or buy technology so schedulers can view external providers' calendars and book appointments in real time, using existing VA contracts if feasible or new contracts when needed. - External providers and records: Cross-reference changes would treat community appointments as part of the same system and align interoperability with the new Provider Scheduling program. - Oversight: The Secretary must send annual progress reports to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees by September 30 each year through 2028.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR] (R-AR), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster VA scheduling for veterans: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a national Provider Scheduling program inside the VA. It would require the Secretary to get or build technology so VA schedulers can view community provider calendars and set appointments in real time, to the extent practicable. The Secretary could use an existing…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-654 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/654)

## Related
- [119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5526)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-654 (as of 2026-07-09).