A bipartisan group of congressional leaders is urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an updated cost estimate and deployment schedule for its Oracle Health EHR rollout.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, led the effort alongside committee ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill.; and ranking member Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. They were joined by members of the Senate and House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittees, including Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., as well as Reps. John Carter, R-Texas, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
The request follows the VA’s announcement of an accelerated deployment schedule for the EHR program, which aims to implement the system in nine additional VA medical centers by 2026. A recent Government Accountability Office report recommended that the department provide a new cost projection before advancing with the timeline.
“The need for a cost estimate is further underscored by practical necessity,” the lawmakers wrote in an April 1 letter. “Without a reliable cost estimate, VA risks budget overruns, schedule delays, and diminished congressional trust. Compliance with these laws, directives, and GAO recommendations is a critical step to ensuring EHRM’s success and accountability.”
The VA originally estimated the 10-year project would cost $16.1 billion, but a 2021 independent assessment by the Institute for Defense Analyses suggested costs could reach $50 billion. The department has not released a revised estimate since lifting a pause on the rollout in April 2023.
