Stuck On Hold Act

Bill: 118-hr-6656
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
Introduced: 2023-12-07
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs

Social Security Administration

Telephone and wireless communication
Latest action: action_date: 2024-09-25
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-12-07
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Stuck On Hold Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration to implement automated systems for their customer phone lines that inform callers of the expected wait time and that offer callbacks for wait times of more than 15 minutes. The agencies must also issue guidance to reduce the average wait time to no more than 15 minutes.<br/></p>

tv_txt: IIB 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6656 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 25, 2024 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs AN ACT 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stuck On Hold Act . 2. Improvements regarding wait times for callers to certain service telephone lines of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Automated system Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement, for each covered line, an automated system that— (1) informs any caller to a covered line about the anticipated wait time, if any; and (2) automatically offers a callback to any such caller with an anticipated wait time of more than 10 minutes. (b) Guidance regarding caller wait times The Secretary shall issue such guidance the Secretary determines necessary to reduce the average wait time of a caller to a covered line to not more than 10 minutes. (c) Covered line defined In this section, the term covered line means a customer service telephone line of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such term does not include— (1) the toll-free hotline for veterans provided by the Secretary under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code; or (2) a phone line for the emergency department of a health care facility of the Department.

Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2024. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6656 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stuck On Hold Act . 2. Improvements regarding wait times for callers to certain service telephone lines of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Automated system Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement, for each covered line, an automated system that— (1) informs any caller to a covered line about the anticipated wait time, if any; and (2) automatically offers a callback to any such caller with an anticipated wait time of more than 10 minutes. (b) Guidance regarding caller wait times The Secretary shall issue such guidance the Secretary determines necessary to reduce the average wait time of a caller to a covered line to not more than 10 minutes. (c) Covered line defined In this section, the term covered line means a customer service telephone line of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such term does not include— (1) the toll-free hotline for veterans provided by the Secretary under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code; or (2) a phone line for the emergency department of a health care facility of the Department.

Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2024. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6656 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stuck On Hold Act . 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.