WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today applauded the announcement by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin that the VA will adopt the same Electronic Health Record (EHR) system as the Department of Defense for veterans’ medical records.

Isakson and McCain have long called for the integration of electronic records systems between the Department of Defense and the VA for ease of transition and interoperability between service members’ and veterans’ records who are entering the VA’s medical system.

“We applaud Secretary Shulkin’s decision to modernize the VA’s Electronic Health Record system,” said Isakson and McCain. “We have often stated that the VA and the Department of Defense should adopt the same electronic records system to create a seamless transition for those transferring from active duty to veteran status, and we believe this move will improve the continuity of information and timeliness of care for our nation’s veterans. We look forward to working with the VA as it moves forward in the acquisition process and offer our assistance to Secretary Shulkin should there be any need for Congressional action to successfully complete the system transition." 

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.