- Contact the Committee

Good morning. Today’s hearing is entitled: VA-DOD Shared Medical Records – 20 Years and Waiting. Since we currently have thousands of service members who are transitioning from active duty to civilian and who will need health care and other veteran’sveterans benefits, this hearing cannot be more timely.
I believe it is critical that VA and DOD share medical information to ensure the continuation of health care to returning soldiers, sailors, and marines. This is an essential component in the processing of VA claims for benefits to which the veteran may be entitled.
It is very challenging for forthe VA to determine what is service-connected……..if the flow of information is not accessible and easily retrievable. What we are left with areare service members with duplicate or incomplete medical records.. Earlier this year, the President’s Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation’s Veterans, issued its final report. The Task Force summarized its findings this way: VA and DOD responsibility for veterans’ health begins as soon as an individual enters the Armed Forces. [Let me interject here, that should include pre-and post-deployment medical examinations.] The Task Force summary went on to say: Collecting and capturing baseline medical information upon entry into the military in an interoperable, bi-directional, and standards-based electronic medical record is the first step in the process. I intend to ask both the VA and DOD how these stated goals are being met and what specific progress has been made in these three critical areas. I understand that headway has finally been made after all those years regarding the setting of standards.
It is an established fact that the technology exists to accomplish this mission. And, I will acknowledge that there has been more movement in the last 14 months than in the past 20 years. However, the end game is not yet in sight. What we hope to learn today is what are the impressions of insurmountable obstacles that keep these two departments from accomplishing the goal that was first set back in1982 by Public Law 97-174. The repeated question is always the same, “Why is it taking so long and when will VA and DOD have systems that can talk to each other.”
Ever since the first Gulf War, I have followed this issue with great interest because I believe it is our responsibility to ensure that we avoid the problems that the returning service members faced in the early 1990’s, which made it very difficult for the VA to make determinations on disability claims.
Today, after some 20 years and untold billions of dollars, we are going to hear how close that horizon is that will allow our men and woman that have bravely served our country to have a seamless electronic medical record that captures and documents all of data on their deployment; nuclear, chemical, or biological exposures, medical care and conditions during their service to their country.