117 HR 5789 IH: No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act U.S. House of Representatives 2021-10-28 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I117th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 5789IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESOctober 28, 2021Mr. Steil (for himself and Mr. Phillips) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' AffairsA BILLTo direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the ability of veterans to make appointments for mental health care furnished by the Secretary.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act.

2.

Improvements to scheduling by veterans of mental health appointments at Department of Veterans Affairs

(a)

Rescheduling cancelled appointments

If a covered veteran cancels an appointment for mental health care furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary shall seek to reschedule the appointment, regardless of the method by which the veteran cancelled the appointment. In seeking to reschedule such appointment, the Secretary shall contact the veteran by telephone. If the veteran does not reschedule the appointment during the first telephone call, the Secretary shall contact the veteran at least once more by telephone to reschedule the appointment.(b)

Covered veteran defined

In this section, the term covered veteran means a veteran who is enrolled in the system of patient enrollment established under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code.