Top Dems press VA for answers on $17B EHR modernization contract boost

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) arrives for a vote at the U.S. Capitol on September 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Finn Gomez/Getty Images

ByEdward Graham,
Managing Editor, Nextgov/FCW

October 13, 2026 04:58 PM ET

The ranking members of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees said VA’s “citation of ‘unanticipated complexities’ as the rationale for nearly tripling the original contract remains unexplained.”

The top Democrats on the House and Senate panels overseeing the Department of Veterans Affairs are pressing the agency to disclose the rationale behind its recent decision to boost its electronic health record modernization contract with Oracle Health by $17 billion.

In an Oct. 6-dated letterto VA Secretary Doug Collins that was publicly released on Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said they had “serious concerns” about the agency’s “lack of transparency and cooperation” with Congress when...

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