Summary

Requires the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to set up, within one year, a joint process that allows certain people to submit supplemental observed health conditions and other relevant health information to the DoD and VA health records of a person who died while enrolled in VA health care or entitled to TRICARE. Submissions may come from a person the deceased designated under a jointly created process or, if no designee exists, from an immediate family member, and any information submitted must add to — not replace or change — the existing health record.

Key Points

• Requires DoD and VA to create a joint process within one year for people to submit supplemental health observations for deceased enrollees.
• Allows submissions from a person designated by the deceased or, if none, from specified immediate family members.
• Submissions must supplement existing DoD and VA health records and cannot modify or replace record entries.
• Covers individuals who were enrolled in VA health care or entitled to TRICARE at the time of death.
• Does not create new benefits or change eligibility for VA or TRICARE programs.
• No specific funding or technical approach is dictated; agencies must design and implement the process.
• Implementation will likely require identity verification, privacy safeguards, and guidance on how supplemental data are stored and used.
• Aims to capture observed health information after death that may be relevant for medical records, research, or family knowledge.

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