Why veterans need their own health care record and system

There has been persistent turbulence at Veterans Affairs in recent years — and no one should expect a $300 billion agency with over half a million employees to run without challenge. Veterans have expressed dissatisfaction for years, and simply adding more staff has not consistently improved outcomes. 

The latest staffing cuts should be seen in this broader context: not as the root of the problem, but as a symptom of deeper operational and technological shortcomings. Importantly, there is bipartisan recognition that if the VA’s internal systems — especially electronic health records and claims processing — were effectively automated and modernized, veterans would experience faster, more reliable service. 

To restore trust and deliver the care veterans deserve, the VA must prioritize smart investment in technology, better management practices and serious engagement with veteran feedback. Now is the time to refocus on the VA mission — and why they need a new, interoperable health care records system.

Many veterans suffer from complex, interrelated and long-term conditions long after their service to our nation. They face elevated risks for PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, toxic exposure from burn pits, amputations and military trauma. Their care cannot be a revolving door of one-off treatments. It requires continuous, interdisciplinary support — mental health, physical rehabilitation, social services, medication management and follow-up — with all health care providers speaking to one another in real time.

Hence, the VA system is important. Independent evaluations have shown the VA excels at chronic disease management, preventative care and integrated service delivery. It trains the majority of U.S. physicians. It conducts groundbreaking research. And it provides care at a lower cost per patient than many private networks.

But this success depends on an invisible backbone: a functional electronic health record.

The health records crisis

For years, the VA and the Department of Defense have struggled to modernize their health records systems. But the DOD has now fully, successfully implanted the state-of-the-art health records program through Military Health System Genesis. Now it’s the VA’s turn to implement a successful process.

Since pausing deployments in 2023, the VA has implemented over 1,500 system changes, dramatically reduced outages and improved performance at its initial sites. Veteran trust scores have risen at key facilities, and system reliability has stabilized, with several sites reporting near-perfect uptime. Planning is now underway to resume go-lives in 2026 at eleven VA hospitals and attending facilities — a dramatic increase from the originally planned two.

Why regular hospitals aren’t enough

Why not let veterans use the private system? Some already do, under programs like the VA MISSION Act. But the idea that regular hospitals can simply absorb the nation’s veterans is naïve.

Private providers aren’t trained in combat trauma. They don’t coordinate lifelong disability care. Many rural and underserved areas lack qualified civilian options. And for veterans without private insurance, the costs can be devastating. The private sector treats patients; the VA system treats people — with histories, injuries and identities shaped by service.

What needs to happen

Fixing the VA health care system is not a technical footnote — it is a contractual obligation this country makes with the men and women who serve. When Americans volunteer to put their lives on the line to defend our way of life, we promise in return that they will be cared for when they come home. 

That promise is not fulfilled through bureaucracy, delays or confusion; it’s fulfilled through access, respect and results. Modernizing the VA is not just about better software or shorter wait times — it’s about living up to our national values and honoring the service and sacrifice of millions of veterans. 

Veterans don’t ask for parades, headlines or fanfare. They ask for prosthetics that fit. For therapy that works. For medical teams that understand their scars. And for a system that won’t force them to explain their story over and over again because their health records can’t keep up.

The VA can succeed

Consider the case of Denmark, which undertook its own healthcare system modernization. After early failures using a commercial platform that didn’t align with local clinical workflows, Denmark pivoted to a homegrown system built in collaboration with its clinicians. The result was smoother deployment, better satisfaction and improved care delivery.

Denmark succeeded in improving patient care. The U.S. and the VA can succeed for its veterans.

Veterans don’t need a perfect system; they need a functional one — designed for them, with them and accountable to them. The VA has the mandate and the means, and it’s on course to deliver.

Roslyn Layton is an American-Danish researcher at Aalborg University’s Faculty of IT and Design, where she studies the political economy of digital industries and e-government. Her research helps leaders at the federal, state and local levels make informed decisions about digital services, infrastructure and efficiency.