Political Quotes

“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.…”