I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2590 

To amend the Wounded Warrior Act to establish a specific timeline for 

the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to achieve 

integrated electronic health records, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 28, 2013 

Mr. GIBSON (for himself, Mr. BERA of California, Mr. COOK, Mr. RUIZ, and 

Mr. COFFMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Wounded Warrior Act to establish a specific 

timeline for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs to achieve integrated electronic health 

records, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Health 

5 Care for Heroes Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTING INTEGRATED ELEC2 TRONIC HEALTH RECORDS. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF TIMELINE.—Section 1635 

4 of the Wounded Warrior Act (10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following new sub6 section: 

7 ‘‘(k) TIMELINE.—In carrying out this section, the 

8 Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af9 fairs shall ensure that— 

10 ‘‘(1) the creation of a health data authoritative 

11 source is achieved by not later than 180 days after 

12 the date of the enactment of this subsection; 

13 ‘‘(2) the ability of patients of both the Depart14 ment of Defense and the Department of Veterans 

15 Affairs to download the medical records of the pa16 tient (commonly referred to as the ‘Blue Button Ini17 tiative’) is achieved by not later than 365 days after 

18 the date of the enactment of this subsection; 

19 ‘‘(3) the seamless integration of personal health 

20 care information between the Departments is 

21 achieved by not later than 365 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this subsection; 

23 ‘‘(4) the standardization of health care data of 

24 the Departments is achieved by not later than 365 

25 days after the date of the enactment of this sub26 section; 


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1 ‘‘(5) the acceleration of the exchange of real2 time data between the Departments is achieved by 

3 not later than 365 days after the date of the enact4 ment of this subsection; 

5 ‘‘(6) the upgrade of the graphical user interface 

6 to display the new standardized health care data of 

7 the Departments is achieved by not later than 365 

8 days after the date of the enactment of this sub9 section; 

10 ‘‘(7) each incoming member of the Armed 

11 Forces and the dependent of such a member may 

12 elect to receive an electronic copy of the health care 

13 record of the individual beginning not later than Oc14 tober 1, 2014; and 

15 ‘‘(8) each current member of the Armed Forces 

16 and the dependent of such a member may elect to 

17 receive an electronic copy of the health care record 

18 of the individual beginning not later than October 1, 

19 2015.’’. 

20 (b) CLOUD STORAGE.—Section 1635 of such Act is 

21 further amended by adding at the end the following new 

22 subsection: 

23 ‘‘(l) CLOUD STORAGE.—The Secretary of Defense 

24 and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall study the fea25 sibility of establishing a secure, remote, network-accessible 


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1 computer storage system (commonly referred to as ‘cloud 

2 storage’) to— 

3 ‘‘(1) provide members of the Armed Forces and 

4 veterans the ability to upload the health care records 

5 of the member or veteran if the member or veteran 

6 elects to do so; and 

7 ‘‘(2) allow medical providers of the Department 

8 of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs 

9 to access such records in the course of providing 

10 care to the member or veteran.’’. 

11 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1635 of 

12 such Act is further amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Sec14 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘In accordance with the 

15 timeline described in subsection (k), the Secretary’’; 

16 and 

17 (2) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of 

18 subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘in accordance with sub19 section (k)’’ after ‘‘under this section’’. 

Æ 


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