House appropriators have drafted new legislation that seeks to limit some healthcare-related funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs until the VA certifies the interoperability of its electronic health records with the Defense Department’s EHR system.
The Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act requires the VA decide on its EHR modernization plan before the agency receives $260 million in appropriations for that initiative, the House Appropriations Committee said Tuesday.
Lawmakers have put language in the bill that requires the VA achieve the certification and milestones on functionality and management, the committee said.
The goal is to help deliver care to veterans through what the committee describes as an “accurate exchange of medical data between the VA, DOD and the private sector.”
The VA would receive $52.5 billion for medical services and $176.1 billion in total FY 2017 funds under the legislation.