More than 163,000 veterans and 7,800 staff members across Ohio and Alaska now have their medical data flowing through a modernized electronic health record (EHR) system. Following the “go-live” events on October 24 at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and the Alaska VA Healthcare System, along with 16 affiliated outpatient clinics, the Department of Veterans Affairs has officially hit its 2026 deployment target of 13 hospitals.
This isn't just a software update; it's a fundamental change in how the federal government handles the health of those who served. For the veteran, this means fewer redundant tests and a medical history that actually follows them when they move between facilities or hit an emergency room. For the clinician, it means a standardized digital workspace that pulls in data from community providers and the Department of War, reducing the gaps in care that occur when records are siloed in legacy systems.
A Hard Pivot from Program Paralysis
The success of this year’s rollout follows a period of instability. In April 2023, the VA announced a program reset, halting most future deployments to address reliability, clinician and veteran experiences, and productivity at existing sites. The early days of the modernization effort were plagued by “local customization,” where individual sites modified the system on their own, creating a fragmented mess that hindered the coordination the system was designed to provide.
To fix this, the VA didn’t just patch the code; they overhauled the bureaucracy. The department replaced several EHR decision councils—which had slowed the program—with a single council reporting directly to top leadership. They shifted to a “standard build,” meaning every facility now gets the same core system, eliminating the local tweaks that caused previous failures.
“VA has fulfilled its goal of deploying this new system to 13 hospitals in 2026, a stark turnaround from the nearly two-year delay seen under the prior administration,” said VA Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence.
Lawrence visited every site that deployed the system this year to troubleshoot readiness with local leaders. To support the transition, the VA also introduced "VA ChatEHR," a chatbot designed to help staff follow workflows and policies without needing to access actual veteran health records or influence clinical decisions.
VA Expands Oracle Health Contract to $27 Billion
The scale of the current footprint is substantial: 780,000 veterans and 42,000 clinicians and staff are now active on the platform. This follows a string of 2026 deployments that began in Michigan in April, moved through southern Ohio and Kentucky in June, and hit Indiana in August.
VA has now deployed its new electronic health record system at 13 hospitals in 2026. The latest rollout in Cleveland and Anchorage will help more than 163,000 Veterans benefit from better-connected health records, fewer duplicate tests, and more coordinated care. Read:…
In August, the VA expanded its contract with Oracle Health, raising the ceiling to $27 billion and extending the timeline through May 2031.
The 2027 Acceleration Plan
With the 2026 goals met, the VA is preparing to double its pace. The department plans to bring 26 hospitals online in 2027, a jump from the 13 targeted this year. This expansion begins in January with a focused push into the Midwest.
| Facility | Location | Scheduled Rollout |
|---|---|---|
| Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center | Milwaukee, WI | January 2027 |
| Tomah VA Medical Center | Tomah, WI | January 2027 |
| William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans’ Hospital | Madison, WI | January 2027 |
| Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Facility | Iron Mountain, MI | January 2027 |
The goal is a fully integrated network where every VA facility is on the same system by 2031. If the VA can maintain this momentum, they will have effectively bridged the gap between the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The transition is far from over, but the shift from “fixing the system” to “scaling the system” suggests the VA has finally found its footing. The real test will be whether the 26 hospitals slated for 2027 experience the same “standard build” success as Cleveland and Anchorage, or if the ghosts of the 2023 reset return to haunt the rollout.
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