[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6656 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6656

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of 
     Social Security to implement automated systems with callback 
     functionality for each customer service telephone line of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, 
                 respectively, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 7, 2023

  Mr. Calvert (for himself and Mr. Cuellar) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of 
     Social Security to implement automated systems with callback 
     functionality for each customer service telephone line of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, 
                 respectively, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Stuck On Hold Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS REGARDING WAIT TIMES OF CALLERS TO CUSTOMER 
              SERVICE TELEPHONE LINES OF CERTAIN AGENCIES.

    (a) Customer Service Telephone Lines of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.--
            (1) Automated system.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall implement for each customer service telephone line of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs an automated system that--
                    (A) informs any caller to such a telephone line 
                about the anticipated wait time, if any; and
                    (B) automatically offers a callback to any such 
                caller with an anticipated wait time of more than 15 
                minutes.
            (2) Guidance regarding caller wait times.--The Secretary 
        shall issue such guidance as is necessary to reduce the average 
        wait time of callers to a customer service telephone line of 
        the Department to not more than 15 minutes. All calls will be 
        answered in the order in which they are received.
    (b) Customer Service Telephone Lines of the Social Security 
Administration.--
            (1) Automated system.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of Social 
        Security shall implement for each customer service telephone 
        line of the Social Security Administration an automated system 
        that--
                    (A) informs any caller to such a telephone line 
                about the anticipated wait time, if any; and
                    (B) automatically offers a callback to any such 
                caller with an anticipated wait time of more than 15 
                minutes. All calls will be answered in the order in 
                which they are received.
            (2) Guidance regarding caller wait times.--The Commissioner 
        shall issue such guidance as is necessary to reduce the average 
        wait time of callers to a customer service telephone line of 
        the Social Security Administration to not more than 15 minutes.
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