[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6656 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6656


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 25, 2024

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of 
     Social Security to implement automated systems with callback 
     functionality for each customer service telephone line of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, 
                 respectively, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stuck On Hold Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS REGARDING WAIT TIMES FOR CALLERS TO CERTAIN 
              SERVICE TELEPHONE LINES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS.

    (a) Automated System.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
implement, for each covered line, an automated system that--
            (1) informs any caller to a covered line about the 
        anticipated wait time, if any; and
            (2) automatically offers a callback to any such caller with 
        an anticipated wait time of more than 10 minutes.
    (b) Guidance Regarding Caller Wait Times.--The Secretary shall 
issue such guidance the Secretary determines necessary to reduce the 
average wait time of a caller to a covered line to not more than 10 
minutes.
    (c) Covered Line Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
line'' means a customer service telephone line of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. Such term does not include--
            (1) the toll-free hotline for veterans provided by the 
        Secretary under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States 
        Code; or
            (2) a phone line for the emergency department of a health 
        care facility of the Department.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2024.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.