Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016
PL 114-286 (H.R.4352), enacted 12/16/2016

130 STAT. 1459 
PUBLIC LAW 114–286—DEC. 16, 2016 
Public Law 114–286 
114th Congress 
An Act 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program establishing 
a patient self-scheduling appointment system, 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 ‘‘Faster Care for Veterans Act 
of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHING A PATIENT SELF-SCHEDULING 
APPOINTMENT SYSTEM. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall commence a pilot program under which veterans use an 
Internet website or mobile application to schedule and confirm 
medical appointments at medical facilities of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. 
(b) SELECTION OF LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall select not 
less than three Veterans Integrated Services Networks in which 
to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a). 
(c) CONTRACTS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall seek to enter into 
a contract using competitive procedures with one or more con-
tractors to provide the scheduling capability described in sub-
section (a). 
(2) NOTICE OF COMPETITION.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
issue a request for proposals for the contract described in 
paragraph (1). Such request shall be full and open to any 
contractor that has an existing commercially available, off- 
the-shelf online patient self-scheduling system that includes 
the capabilities specified in section 3(a). 
(3) SELECTION.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award a 
contract to one or more contractors pursuant to the request 
for proposals under paragraph (2). 
(d) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except as provided by paragraph (2), 
the Secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection 
(a) for an 18-month period. 
(2) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may extend the duration 
of the pilot program under subsection (a), and may expand 
the selection of Veterans Integrated Services Networks under 
Determination. 
Deadlines. 
Deadline. 
Website. 
Mobile 
application. 
38 USC 1701 
note. 
Faster Care for 
Veterans Act of 
2016. 
Dec. 16, 2016 
[H.R. 4352] 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:27 Jul 08, 2022
Jkt 059194
PO 00002
Frm 00427
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2016\PT2\59194PT2.001
59194PT2
dkrause on LAP5T8D0R2PROD with DISTILLER
130 STAT. 1460 
PUBLIC LAW 114–286—DEC. 16, 2016 
subsection (b), if the Secretary determines that the pilot pro-
gram is reducing the wait times of veterans seeking medical 
care and ensuring that more available appointment times are 
filled. 
(e) MOBILE APPLICATION DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘mobile application’’ means a software program that runs on the 
operating system of a cellular telephone, tablet computer, or similar 
portable computing device that transmits data over a wireless 
connection. 
SEC. 3. CAPABILITIES OF PATIENT SELF-SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT 
SYSTEM. 
(a) MINIMUM CAPABILITIES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall ensure that the patient self-scheduling appointment system 
used in the pilot program under section 2, and any other patient 
self-scheduling appointment system developed or used by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, includes, at a minimum, the fol-
lowing capabilities: 
(1) Capability to schedule, modify, and cancel appointments 
for primary care, specialty care, and mental health. 
(2) Capability to support appointments for the provision 
of health care regardless of whether such care is provided 
in person or through telehealth services. 
(3) Capability to view appointment availability in real time. 
(4) Capability to make available, in real time, appointments 
that were previously filled but later cancelled by other patients. 
(5) Capability to provide prompts or reminders to veterans 
to schedule follow-up appointments. 
(6) Capability to be used 24 hours per day, 7 days per 
week. 
(7) Capability to integrate with the Veterans Health 
Information Systems and Technology Architecture of the 
Department, or such successor information technology system. 
(b) INDEPENDENT VALIDATION AND VERIFICATION.— 
(1) INDEPENDENT ENTITY.— 
(A) The Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement 
with an appropriate non-governmental, not-for-profit entity 
with expertise in health information technology to 
independently validate and verify that the patient self- 
scheduling appointment system used in the pilot program 
under section 2, and any other patient self-scheduling 
appointment system developed or used by the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, includes the capabilities specified in 
subsection (a). 
(B) Each independent validation and verification con-
ducted under subparagraph (A) shall be completed as fol-
lows: 
(i) With respect to the validation and verification 
of the patient self-scheduling appointment system used 
in the pilot program under section 2, by not later 
than 60 days after the date on which such pilot pro-
gram commences. 
(ii) With respect to any other patient self-sched-
uling appointment system developed or used by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, by not later than 60 
days after the date on which such system is deployed, 
regardless of whether such deployment is on a limited 
Deadlines. 
Contracts. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:27 Jul 08, 2022
Jkt 059194
PO 00002
Frm 00428
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2016\PT2\59194PT2.001
59194PT2
dkrause on LAP5T8D0R2PROD with DISTILLER
130 STAT. 1461 
PUBLIC LAW 114–286—DEC. 16, 2016 
basis, but not including any deployments for testing 
purposes. 
(2) GAO EVALUATION.— 
(A) The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
evaluate each validation and verification conducted under 
paragraph (1). 
(B) Not later than 30 days after the date on which 
the Comptroller General completes an evaluation under 
paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report on such 
evaluation. 
(C) In this paragraph, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(i) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate; and 
(ii) the Committees on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.— 
(1) CAPABILITIES INCLUDED.—Not later than December 31, 
2017, the Secretary shall certify to the Committees on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate that 
the patient self-scheduling appointment system used in the 
pilot program under section 2, and any other patient self- 
scheduling appointment system developed or used by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs as of the date of the certifi-
cation, includes the capabilities specified in subsection (a). 
(2) NEW
SYSTEMS.—If the Secretary develops or begins 
using a new patient self-scheduling appointment system that 
is not covered by a certification made under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall certify to such committees that such new 
system includes the capabilities specified in subsection (a) by 
not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary 
determines to replace the previous patient self-scheduling 
appointment system. 
(3) EFFECT OF CAPABILITIES NOT INCLUDED.—If the Sec-
retary does not make a timely certification under paragraph 
(1) or paragraph (2), the Secretary shall replace any patient 
self-scheduling appointment system developed by the Secretary 
that is in use with a commercially available, off-the-shelf online 
patient self-scheduling system that includes the capabilities 
specified in subsection (a). 
Deadlines. 
Definition. 
Deadline. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:27 Jul 08, 2022
Jkt 059194
PO 00002
Frm 00429
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6581
G:\STATUTES\2016\PT2\59194PT2.001
59194PT2
dkrause on LAP5T8D0R2PROD with DISTILLER
130 STAT. 1462 
PUBLIC LAW 114–286—DEC. 16, 2016 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4352: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016): 
Dec. 6, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 9, considered and passed Senate. 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS. 
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the require-
ments of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using 
amounts otherwise authorized. 
Approved December 16, 2016. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
05:27 Jul 08, 2022
Jkt 059194
PO 00002
Frm 00430
Fmt 6580
Sfmt 6580
G:\STATUTES\2016\PT2\59194PT2.001
59194PT2
dkrause on LAP5T8D0R2PROD with DISTILLER