The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments will extend the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) health communities program, now underway in the San Diego area, which allows DoD and VA to share electronically maintained health information with the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN), which was established with the help of the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the expansion, service members, their families, military retirees and veterans in the Southeastern Virginia/Hampton Roads area will be included in the arrangement on a voluntary basis. The program’s managers stress that privacy and security receives the highest priority, and that eligible persons who choose not to participate will see no adverse effects on their access to health care.
