S.Amdt. 2959

SA 2959. Mr. WELCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1067. SUPPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH RECORDS OF DECEASED
VETERANS.

(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly take actions
necessary to ensure that the health records of the Department
of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs may be
updated with observed health conditions and other relevant
health information of a deceased enrollee by--
(1) an individual designated by such deceased enrollee; or
(2) if no such individual is designated, an immediate
family member of such deceased enrollee.
(b) Designation.--The Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly provide for a
process by which an individual may make a designation for
purposes of subsection (a)(1).
(c) No Modification of Health Information.--Any update
under subsection (a) shall supplement information contained
in the health records of a deceased enrollee and shall not
modify information contained in such records.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Immediate family member.--The term ``immediate family
member'', with respect to a deceased enrollee, means--
(A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult child of
the individual; or
(B) an adult person to whom the individual stands in loco
parentis.
(2) Deceased enrollee.--The term ``deceased enrollee''
means any individual who, at the time of his or her death--
(A) was enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the
Department of Veterans Affairs established and operated under
section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code; or
(B) was entitled to care under the TRICARE program, as
defined in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
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