Paul Lawrence – President Trump’s nominee to serve as deputy secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – pledged to lawmakers today that, if confirmed, he will work to get the VA’s Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program “back on track.”
The deputy secretary is the second-highest ranking official at the VA and is tasked with overseeing the EHRM program.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Lawrence pledged to work with VA Secretary Doug Collins to improve EHRM’s rollout. He echoed the plan Collins put forth during his own confirmation hearing last month, which is to convene everyone involved in the program and figure out the best path forward.
“I think I would probably foot stomp urgency,” Lawrence told the committee. “We can’t spend months again studying what’s going on and figuring it out.”
The EHRM program aims to provide a seamless experience for veterans as they transition from receiving care under the Department of Defense (DoD) to receiving care under the VA, with a single fully integrated EHR system.
However, the program has faced a troubled rollout riddled with underreported costs, deficiencies in training, and diminished employee morale.
The program is currently in the middle of a “reset” while the VA and its contractor Oracle Cerner focus on improvements at the six sites where the EHR system is currently deployed.
In December, the VA announced it plans to resume the rollout of its EHRM program in mid-2026 by deploying the Federal EHR system to four Michigan facilities.
Lawrence, who previously served as the under secretary of benefits within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) during the first Trump administration, said his previous experience working with technology systems will aid him in overseeing the EHRM program.
For example, he said that during his time at VBA, the disability claims backlog was “reduced to its lowest level ever” – a task that could not be accomplished without improving the underlying tech systems.
“If confirmed, I want to … figure out what the plan should be in terms of holding everybody accountable for what’s supposed to take place: to get the most benefits as quickly as possible to our veterans within the amount of money we have,” Lawrence said.
However, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. – whose state includes the first EHRM deployment site of Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. – told Lawrence that “we have heard that answer from every VA person that’s come before this committee for a number of years now.”
Sen. Murray challenged Lawrence to dig deeper, asking him what he’s going to do differently than his predecessors.
In response, Lawrence shared two observations to try to assure the senator he’s the right pick for the job.
“One is, I think that the secretary conveyed a strong sense of urgency that it should be done much sooner than later. And the second thing I would point out is, in my previous tenure at VA as under secretary, I dealt with technology problems,” he said. “With the GI Bill, with Appeals Modernization, and with Blue Water Navy, I implemented technology.”
“I suspect the difference – though, I don’t have the inventory of everybody who sat in front of you – the difference is I’ve actually done this,” Lawrence added. “So, that’s the difference I will bring to this [role]. I understand the frustration, and I pledge to work as best, as hard as I can, to get this done.”
If confirmed, Lawrence also committed to give the committee a detailed update on the EHRM program “after a reasonable period of time” – a request made by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
