VA may be ordered to take online appointments

WASHINGTON – Veterans would be able to schedule medical appointments online at VA centers under a bill that passed the House Tuesday.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the bill’s top GOP co-sponsor, said it was time for the Department of Veterans Affairs to embrace 21st Century technology the rest of the country uses to make scheduling more convenient. The Spokane Republican said long wait times for appointments were “just the tip of the bureaucratic iceberg” in the department.

The bill had nearly 230 co-sponsors and passed on a voice vote after being brought to the floor on a parliamentary procedure. It now goes to the Senate, which must pass it this month to have a chance to be signed into law.

“Our veterans should have the same options that people have in doctors’ offices across the country,” McMorris Rodgers said during the floor debate. “They should be able to use an app, or go online to schedule.”

The legislation is a response to news of long wait times, poor treatment and failed customer service at VA facilities across the country in 2014. Last year, the number of veterans waiting 30 days or more for medical care increased by 50 percent, according to a news release from McMorris Rodgers’ office.

“Veterans should be in control of all aspects of their health care and this bill is a step towards achieving that goal,” the congresswoman said, adding her office gets contacted on a weekly basis from vets with complaints about VA service.