U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., introduced a bill that aims to improve the Veterans Choice Program.
Here are four things to know.
1. The senator introduced the Veterans Deserve Better Care Act Thursday.
2. The legislation specifically aims to improve the Choice Program, which pays for veterans to see private providers not associated with the VA. Veterans are currently eligible for the program if their wait times are longer than 30 days or they live more than 40 miles from a VA facility.
3. The bill would require that veterans make healthcare appointments within five days and ensure they have necessary information prior to scheduling an appointment, according to the senator's office. The overall goal with this would be to reduce wait times.
4. The bill would also require that Choice Program providers receive payment quickly "by requiring the VA to pay for or deny payment within 30 days of receiving an electronic claim or 45 days of receiving a paper claim," according to the senator's office.
Read more about the proposed bill here.