Patient Advocate Tracker Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5754) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of veterans to electronically submit complaints about the delivery of health care services by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 5754.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5754, the Patient Advocate Tracker Act, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain).

This bill will require VA to create a system to allow veterans to electronically submit complaints about the delivery of VA healthcare services and to track the resolution of those complaints by local VA patient advocates through an online system in real time. VA's existing IT system only allows VA employees to track complaint resolution, but not patients.

This bill has garnered the bipartisan support of an impressive 115 cosponsors since it was introduced 7 months ago. H.R. 5754 is also endorsed by numerous veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Student Veterans of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 5754, the Patient Advocate Tracker Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5754, the Patient Advocate Tracker Act. This is an excellent piece of legislation that is the brainchild of a veteran named Cameron Zbikowski.

Cameron worked on VA's patient advocate program as a student veteran fellow for the VFW and Student Veterans of America. During his fellowship, he recognized that veterans would be better served if they could submit complaints to VA patient advocates online and track the status of those complaints online as well.

Cameron was spot on, and this bill will require VA to make that happen. This will make patient advocates more accessible to veterans than ever before, and it will increase the transparency and accountability of the VA patient advocacy program so that we can make sure that it is working as it should for veterans across the country.

I know Cameron is watching today, and from one veteran to another, I thank him for his great work.

This bill is sponsored by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain). I thank her for her hard work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud supporter of this bill today, and I hope that all of my colleagues will join me in supporting it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of

H.R. 5754 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.