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(Washington, DC) An effort by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs to provide a smoother, seamless transition from active duty to veteran status will take a "huge step" forward on Monday. Starting April 23, medical staff at all 154 hospitals and the roughly 800 clinics run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should be able to access the Department of Defense medical records of servicemembers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

"This is great news. An integrated electronic record system between the DoD and VA is something we in Congress have been insisting upon. I'm very pleased with this progress and I applaud both agencies for making this happen," said Sen. Larry Craig, the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. .

The Idaho Republican has been advocating for the integration since visiting Iraq several years ago with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson.

"In 2005 Secretary Nicholson and I traveled to Iraq where we met with our soldiers and saw firsthand the medical treatment they were receiving, both in-country and later at Landstuhl, Germany, before returning to the United States. The care was impressive, but it was frustrating to learn that the electronic medical records the DoD was developing could not be accessed by doctors within VA," Craig said.

"The DoD's electronic medical records include emergency and outpatient treatments. What is needed in the long-run is a fully integrated electronic medical record that includes the servicemembers' entire medical record."

Medical staff at several VA facilities gained access to the DoD's Joint Patient Tracking Application (JPtA) last year, but that access was shut off by DoD officials amid medical privacy concerns. Within days Senator Craig and Senator Daniel Akaka, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, issued a joint letter calling for a change in military policy.

"A few days after our letter, staff at four VA medical centers had their access restored. What is significant now is that every VA facility will have access to these important medical records. Knowing exactly what other doctors have recorded will help with treatment and could, in fact, save lives," Craig said.

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