I
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1729
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 25, 2013
Mrs. Kirkpatrick (for herself and Mr. Coffman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to provide the service records of veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an efficient, electronic format.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
VA Claims, Operations, and Records
Efficiency Act
.
Provision of service records
In general
In accordance with subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall make the covered records of each member of the Armed Forces available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an electronic format.
Timeline
The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the covered records of members are made available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as follows:
With respect to a member of the Armed Forces who was discharged or released from the Armed Forces before the date of the enactment of this Act, not later than 45 days after the date of such discharge or release.
With respect to a member of the Armed Forces who is discharged or released from the Armed Forces on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, not later than 21 days after the date of such discharge or release.
Certification
For each member of the Armed Forces whose covered records are made available under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall transmit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a letter certifying that—
the Secretary of Defense thoroughly reviewed the records of the member;
the information provided in the covered records of such member is complete as of the date of the letter;
no other information that should be included in such covered records exist as of such date; and
if other information is later discovered—
such other information will be added to such covered records; and
the Secretary of Defense will notify the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of such addition.
Sharing of protected health information
For purposes of the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note), making medical records available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (a) shall be treated as a permitted disclosure.
Covered records defined
In this section, the term covered records means, with respect to a member of the Armed Forces—
service treatment records;
accompanying personal records;
relevant unit records; and
medical records created by reason of treatment or services received pursuant to chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code.