After returning from a surprise visit to troops in Iraq, President Obama made good on his promises to them by praising both houses of Congress for preserving his veteran’s health care priorities, and announcing a new veteran’s health care program that will track medical information "from the day they first enlist to the day that they are laid to rest."
The President continued to address the improvements this would create in veterans’ lives. "Now, this would represent a huge step towards modernizing the way health care is delivered and benefits are administered for our nation’s veterans. It would cut through red tape and reduce the number of administrative mistakes. It would allow all VA sites access to a veteran’s complete military medical record, giving them the information they need to deliver high-quality care. And it would do all this with the strictest and most rigorous standards of privacy and security, so that our veterans can have confidence that their medical records can only be shared at their direction." Full Text Obama Veterans Remarks
According to Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA, these changes are long overdue. "Right now, there is no easy process for transferring servicemembers’ medical records from the DOD to the VA when they leave active duty. As a result, some of our most seriously wounded troops are suffering through redundant tests, misdiagnoses, and delayed treatment." This was a key initiative of the IAVA this year.
Watch Paul’s CNN interview, and then join him to encourage the Administration to uphold these promises.
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