VA Nurse Advice Lines: A Problem of Access & Accountability

Policy Proposal

Our proposal seeks to:

• Improve national standards for VA nurse helplines by requiring all helplines to meet URAC accreditation standards, including mandating wait times of less than one minute and requiring a follow-up report of the call to be sent to the veteran’s primary car physician.
• Connect regional and local helplines to ensure that veterans are transferred to a nearby call center if the one nearest them is experiencing longer-than-normal wait times.
• Simplify access by eliminating complicated phone trees and connecting nurse helplines to general VA Medical Center phone numbers.
• Develop a comprehensive advertising campaign of VA nursing hotlines so that all veterans know they are available.
• Mandate an annual report to Congress by the VA detailing their progress on implementing the URAC standards and explaining whether current staffing levels are sufficient to meet the standards.

Documents