House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

News

• Current Press Releases
• 110th Congress Press Releases
• 109th Congress Press Releases

For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Steve Buyer (IN-04) made the following statement in response to the administration’s announcement regarding a “joint virtual lifetime electronic record” for veterans.

“I am encouraged by the announcement that the current administration intends to implement a single Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical record.  This is an issue that I have worked on since I first came to Congress.  In 2007, I amended H.R. 1538, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, which was later included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (P.L. 110-181), to improve the transition process for returning servicemembers.  The amendment directed the VA and DoD to develop:

• A comprehensive policy on the care and management of members of the armed forces, including the development of a system that allows for fully interoperable electronic exchange of personnel health information;
• A uniform separation examination and evaluation that VA could use for rating decisions; and
• An electronic DD-214.

I am hopeful this electronic record may finally be a reality after 20 years of bureaucratic infighting.  I look forward to learning more about the Administration’s proposal, including the timeline for implementation.  This is an essential step toward ensuring a seamless transition from DoD to VA for our servicemembers.  They deserve nothing less.”  

For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, please go to: 

http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/  

###