Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, as you have so well articulated, the Nation owes an almost unrepayable debt to our men and women in uniform, past and present. As a result of their selfless service, we are absolutely obliged to deliver a full range of benefits that they were promised. That includes quality medical care for members of the military and our veterans at all times.

My colleagues, I want to commend the gentleman from Texas, the ranking member from Georgia, and their staff for their commitment to ensuring that there will be a seamless transition from the Defense medical system into the VA health care system through an integrated electronic medical record.

For nearly a decade, your subcommittee and our Defense Subcommittee have listened to a parade of administration officials tell us, first of all, they recognized the need for interoperability when it comes to electronic health records and, secondly, that we are on it. Mr. Chairman, they were not on it, and as a result, we have lost years as the VA and the Department of Defense struggled to develop either a single unified record or different but interoperable systems.

My colleagues, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 mandated the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs were required to collaborate to create an electronic health record that would achieve interoperability and streamline the transition process from servicemember to veteran. Now, 7 years later, there is no interoperable record, and the original plan for the two Departments to use the same system has now been scrapped. The Department of Defense plans to acquire a new record system while the VA continues to upgrade its current one. Alternatively, the acquisition program for the Department of Defense has an estimated contract award date of the third quarter of fiscal year 2015 with initial operating capability by the first quarter of fiscal year 2017, nearly a full decade after the initial mandate.

My colleagues, this program has been plagued by inefficiency, poor planning, and apparently even less oversight by responsible members of the Department. The failure to make the significant progress on this issue is a national disgrace.

The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. CULBERSON. I yield the gentleman such time as he may consume.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Thank you for yielding the time.

The failure to make significant progress on this issue is a national disgrace. Not only are the Departments squandering precious taxpayer dollars, but above all, our troops and veterans are suffering as they seek help.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with you on this situation to end this debacle. It is inexcusable. We need interoperable records. We need the VA and the Department of Defense to work together successfully to serve our veterans.

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