The Committee’s Work to Modernize VA

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has numerous large-scale modernization efforts underway that are critical to transforming how VA does business and serves the veteran community. While VA has made some progress in programs to modernize systems and has many efforts at various stages of implementation — including electronic health records, educational services claims and benefits systems, financial management, overall IT technical debt, and the medical supply chain — additional progress is needed in the next few years to successfully modernize VA.

That’s why Chairman Mark Takano supported and voted to pass President Biden’s transformational Build Back Better Act. The $5 billion set aside for VA will restore veterans’ faith in the agency by literally updating the physical infrastructure of the VA system, investing in VA’s workforce, and providing much-needed updates to the support structures that serve our veterans.

Earlier this year, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing with VA officials, outside experts, and Veterans Service Organization leaders about President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and how to strengthen VA’s infrastructure. Hearing from key stakeholders about the need for modernized infrastructure underscores the importance of the Build Back Better Act and how it will improve the care veterans receive from VA.