STUDY TO DETERMINE NEED FOR A JOINT FUND FOR FEDERAL ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD MODERNIZATION OFFICE.

SEC. 743. STUDY TO DETERMINE NEED FOR A JOINT FUND FOR FEDERAL ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD MODERNIZATION OFFICE. (a) Study.—The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct a study to determine— (1) whether there is a validated need or military requirement for the development of a joint fund of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office; and (2) whether the operations of the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office since its establishment, including how the Office has supported the implementation of the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record program of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, justify the development of a potential joint fund. (b) Elements.—The study under subsection (a) shall assess the following: (1) Justifications for the development of the joint fund. (2) The potential resource allocation and funding commitments for the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to the joint fund. (3) Options for the governance structure of the joint fund, including how accountability would be divided between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. (4) The anticipated contents of the joint fund, including the anticipated process for annual transfers to the joint fund from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, respectively. (5) An estimated timeline for the potential establishment of the joint fund. (6) The progress and accomplishments of the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office during fiscal year 2021 in fulfilling the purposes specified in subparagraphs (C) through (R) of section 1635(b)(2) of the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110-181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note). (c) Report.—Not later than July 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings of the study under subsection (a), including recommendations on the development of the joint fund specified in such subsection. Such recommendations shall address— (1) the purpose of the joint fund; and (2) requirements related to the joint fund. (d) Definitions.—In this section: (1) The term “appropriate congressional committees” means— (A) the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate; and (B) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate. (2) The term “Electronic Health Record Modernization Program” has the meaning given such term in section 503(e) of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407; 132 Stat. 5376). (3) The term “Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office” means the Office established under section 1635(b) of the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110-181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note).