GAO finds VA lagging on key EHR modernization recommendations

The Government Accountability Office reported on August 2026 that the Department of Veterans Affairs has fully implemented only four of the 18 recommendations GAO issued across five reports dating from June 2020 to March 2025. Ten priority recommendations remain unaddressed, and 14 total recommendations are still open.

The status tables show that GAO-25-106874 (March 2025) lists three recommendations, two priority, with one implemented and two priority recommendations still open. GAO-23-106731 (May 2023) contains ten recommendations, all priority, with six open and four partially implemented. Earlier reports - GAO-22-103718 (Feb 2022) and GAO-20-473 (June 2020) - each have one open recommendation, while GAO-21-224 (Feb 2021) reports both recommendations implemented.

In response to GAO-25-106874, Senate and House Authorizing and Appropriations Committees sent a letter requesting a detailed cost estimate and schedule by September 30 2025. VA supplied a notional schedule but has not provided the cost estimate or the detailed schedule documentation required to assess alignment with leading practices.

User dissatisfaction with the new system prompted VA to halt further deployments in 2023. After announcing a restart in December 2024, the department plans to begin with four facilities in Michigan and add nine sites in 2026, aiming to complete roughly 170 site deployments by 2031. GAO warns that without full implementation of its recommendations, future rollouts risk repeating the management challenges experienced in the initial deployments and may impede optimal system use by veterans and clinicians.

GAO will continue to monitor VA's progress on the outstanding recommendations, emphasizing that timely resolution is essential for the success of the Electronic Health Record Modernization program.