WASHINGTON – Pres. Biden signed the Patient Advocate Tracker Act into law that Senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sponsored in the Senate. The law increases transparency and accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans who report concerns they experience with VA health care services.
“With the current Patient Advocate Protection Act, our veterans will receive more efficient and better quality health care from the VA,” Kennedy said.
The VA uses the Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS) to track and report complaints from veterans. The Patient Advocate Tracker Act would allow veterans to access PATS to file complaints and view the status of those health care concerns, including interim and final actions VA has taken to resolve issues with them which individual veterans face.
By giving veterans access to PATS, VA employees can more effectively direct veterans’ concerns to the appropriate department within VA, avoiding unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
