July 17, 2025
Mr. Welch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit supplementation of health records of deceased veterans, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Health Records Enhancement Act
.
Sec. 2. 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.