Would Letting Certified Congressional Employees Access VA Health Records Help Vets Get Their Benefits Faster? (H.R. 512)

What is H.R. 512?

(Updated November 27, 2019)

This bill — known as the WINGMAN Act — would require the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to give an accredited, permanent Congressional employee read-only access to a veteran’s case records in the electronic Veterans Benefits Administration claims records if the veteran gives them permission. Currently access is only given to a person acting as the veteran’s attorney, although Congressional staffers are able to help process those files.

The VA would ensure that the Congressional employee wouldn’t be allowed to modify data in the system, and the employee must be certified by the VA to be granted access. Members of Congress who choose to have an employee certified would be required to pay the cost of certification from their official budget.

Argument in favor

Letting Congressional employees access VA health records would ensure that veterans’ voices are heard while avoiding delays and problems occurring at the VA that keep vets from their benefits.

Argument opposed

The VA already has established lines of communication with Congress and staffers, there’s no need to give Congressional employees direct access to VA health records to deal with cases.

Impact

Veterans; Congressional employees; and the VA.

Cost of H.R. 512

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) introduced this bill to streamline the VA claims process by giving Congressional staffers the ability to process the claims of veterans they represent:

“The interaction between congressional offices and the VA, on behalf of our nation's veterans, should be seamless. Our veterans have answered the call to protect us and the freedoms we enjoy every day. It is only right that we do all we can to support and care for them in a timely manner. WINGMAN aims to do just that by expediting the claims process for all veterans who seek assistance and answers to their pending claims.”

This legislation has the bipartisan support of 170 cosponsors in the House, including 119 Republicans and 51 Democrats.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) Press Release
  
• Ripon Advance (Previous Version)