S. 2316: A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a report on wait times for veterans seeking medical appointments and treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to prohibit closure of medical facilities of the Department, and for other purposes.

S. 2316: A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a report on wait times for veterans seeking medical appointments and treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to prohibit closure of medical facilities of the Department, and for other purposes.

113th Congress · introduced 2014-05-12 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-05-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a report on wait times for veterans seeking medical appointments and treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to prohibit closure of medical facilities of the Department, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit to Congress within 180 days after enactment of this Act a report on wait times for veterans seeking medical appointments and treatment from the VA, which shall include: (1) information on wait times throughout the United States, and (2) a determination by the Inspector General as to whether such wait times have been prolonged by VA employees without a valid medical or administrative reason. Prohibits the VA Secretary from closing any VA medical facility, or from using any VA funds to prepare any environment impact statement related to such closure, before such report is submitted, or after the report is submitted if the Inspector General determines that wait times have been prolonged by VA employees without a valid reason, unless the Secretary certifies that such closure will not: increase the wait times for veterans in the catchment area of such medical facility; decrease the quality of care provided to such veterans; impede the access of such veterans to specialized health care services or to VA residential rehabilitation treatment programs and other inpatient care; increase the distance required to be traveled by such veterans to receive care; or impede the access to medical care for such veterans that are members of Indian tribes. Terminates such prohibition when the Inspector General certifies that such wait times are not being prolonged by VA employees without a valid reason.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a report on wait times for veterans seeking medical appointments and treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to prohibit closure of medical facilities of the Department, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Lee (R-UT), James E. Risch (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] reported raising $4.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Agencies named in this bill

Department of Veterans Affairs: its federal spending and other bills that name it

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113s2316.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>

Record fed-us-cong113-s2316 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113