119-hr4527

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4527 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4527

 To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs to permit supplementation of health records of deceased 
 veterans, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 17, 2025

Mr. Ruiz (for himself and Mr. Bilirakis) 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 require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
 Affairs to permit supplementation of health records of deceased 
 veterans, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Health Records Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH RECORDS OF DECEASED VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall jointly take actions necessary to ensure that 
the health records of the Department of Defense and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs may be updated with observed health conditions and 
other relevant health information of a deceased enrollee by--

    (1) an individual designated by such deceased enrollee; or

    (2) if no such individual is designated, an immediate 
 family member of such deceased enrollee.

    (b) Designation.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall jointly provide for a process by which an 
individual may make a designation for purposes of subsection

    (a)

    (1) .
            (c) No Modification of Health Information.--Any update under 
subsection

    (a) shall supplement information contained in the health 
records of a deceased enrollee and shall not modify information 
contained in such records.
            (d) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Immediate family member.--The term ``immediate family 
 member'', with respect to a deceased enrollee, means--
        (A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult 
 child of the individual; or
        (B) an adult person to whom the individual stands 
 in loco parentis.

    (2) Deceased enrollee.--The term ``deceased enrollee'' 
 means any individual who, at the time of his or her death--
        (A) was enrolled in the patient enrollment system 
 of the Department of Veterans Affairs established and 
 operated under 

section 1705

    (a) of title 38, United 
 States Code; or
        (B) was entitled to care under the TRICARE program, 
 as defined in 

section 1072 of title 10, United States 
 Code.
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