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VA Attempting To Gain More Veteran Participation in VLER Pilot Program

Fierce EMR reported on the expansion of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) pilot program. According to VA Sec. Eric Shinseki, the VA wants to see at least 50,000 signatures from veterans who are currently using VA health care to join the pilot program by the end of this fiscal year. Care for veterans with disabilities will only improve as these programs improve.

Sec. Shinseki stated the pilot program had to be expanded in order to continue and assure the "continuity and timeliness of care" while at the same time ensuring there are absolutely no "gaps" in information between healthcare providers. The pilot program was initially launched in San Diego; Spokane, WA; Indianapolis; and Hampton, VA. The expansion will take the program into:

• Grand Junction, Colo.;
• Charleston, South Carolina;
• Puget Sound, WA;
• Western North Carolina;
• Asheville, North Carolina;
• Minneapolis, Minn.;
• Buffalo, N.Y.; and
• rural Utah.

The VLER pilot program was born out of a joint effort between the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD). Once completed, the VA and the DoD, along with some private providers of healthcare, will be able to seamlessly share the health care information of all veterans in the system through a "unified lifetime" electronic health record (EHR). 

The program has been in development since 2009, but has been delayed for various reasons along the way. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the program to be behind schedule. Ideally, the expansion will help to put the program back on track. 

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan&Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.