; scheduling The Secretary shall develop a policy requiring Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities to routinely assess the scheduling needs and resources required to ensure that employees of such facilities are allocated in such a manner as to adequately respond to the demand for scheduling medical appointments. (2) Recruitment and retention The Secretary shall develop a strategy to improve recruitment and retention of Department of Veterans Affairs medical providers and employees who perform scheduling functions for Department medical facilities. Such strategy shall be designed to ensure adequate staffing of Department medical facilities and shall emphasize recruitment and retention in facilities located in rural areas. (d) Telephone access The Secretary shall— (1) ensure that all Department medical facilities provide oversight of telephone access and implement the best practices outlined in the Department 2015 Telephone Access and Contact Management Improvement Guide, or a successor guide; and (2) identify medical facilities that are using outdated telephone technology and replace such technology with new systems designed to improve telephone service and access to health care. 7. Annual report regarding the recruitment, hiring, and retention of nurses for the Veterans Health Administration (a) Report required Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish and submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report regarding efforts to recruit, hire, and retain nurses for the Veterans Health Administration. (b) Elements The report under subsection (a) shall include details relating to— (1) efforts to recruit, hire, and retain nurses at each medical facility of the Department; (2) resources provided by the Secretary to recruit, hire, and retain nurses for the Veterans Health Administration