FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING USE OF MILITARY HISTORIES OF VETERANS IN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE.

SEC. 211. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING USE OF MILITARY HISTORIES OF VETERANS IN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE. (a) Findings.—Congress makes the following findings: (1) Pertinent military experiences and exposures may affect the health status of Department of Veterans Affairs patients who are veterans. (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun to implement a Veterans Health Initiative to develop systems to ensure that both patient care and medical education in the Veterans Health Administration are specific to the special needs of veterans and should be encouraged to continue these efforts. (3) Protocols eliciting pertinent information relating to the military history of veterans may be beneficial to understanding certain conditions for which veterans may be at risk and thereby facilitate the treatment of veterans for those conditions. (4) The Department of Veterans Affairs is in the process of developing a Computerized Patient Record System that offers the potential to aid in the care and monitoring of such conditions. (b) Sense of Congress.—Congress— (1) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assess the feasibility and desirability of using a computer-based system to conduct clinical evaluations relevant to military experiences and exposures; and (2) recommends that the Secretary accelerate efforts within the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that relevant military histories of veterans are included in Department medical records.