You can’t fix access with empty desks.

Veterans are waiting—not because there aren’t enough doctors, but because there’s no one answering the phones, scheduling appointments, or managing the front desk.

The Veterans Access Protection through Staffing Standards Act finally addresses this overlooked crisis by using real-world staffing benchmarks to guide hiring and holding leadership accountable when access suffers.

This bill would:

• Require the VA to adopt industry-standard staffing benchmarks for administrative roles

• Create a public-facing staffing dashboard showing actual vs. required staff

• Freeze bonuses at facilities failing to meet access or staffing targets

Tell Congress: Access starts with frontline staffing—fix the foundation.