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Health Records Enhancement Act
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.
Summary
The Health Records Enhancement Act requires the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a process allowing families to supplement the health records of deceased veterans. An individual designated by a deceased veteran, or if no designation exists, an immediate family member (spouse, parent, sibling, adult child, or someone in a parent-like relationship), may add observed health conditions and other relevant health information to the veteran's medical records. The secretaries must jointly create a designation process within one year of enactment. Any updates to records can only add information and may not modify existing medical records. The provision applies to deceased veterans who were enrolled in the VA patient enrollment system or entitled to TRICARE benefits.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA)
1 cosponsor
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Raul Ruiz’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $112,200
- DAVITA $15,500
- US ACUTE CARE SOLUTIONS $14,100
- CHANDI GROUP USA, INC. $13,200
- ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY $13,200
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Raul Ruiz → · Outside spending →
Actions (3)
- Dec 19, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Jul 17, 2025 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. · house
- Jul 17, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
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. <all>
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