CalVet seeks $5.2M for electronic health record; deferred maintenance, admin support withdrawn from May revision

John Spangler, legislative deputy secretary for the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 that the May revision includes a one‑time $5,225,000 general fund request to complete phase 3 of an electronic health record system for veterans homes (referred to as the CARE project). CalVet officials said Phase 3 would allow the veterans homes to maintain healthcare and personal health information in a single modern system, and they anticipate completion in October 2026.

Spangler also said the department's January requests for two items were withdrawn from the May revision because of the state's fiscal condition: $819,000 for deferred maintenance at veterans homes and $285,000 for additional administrative support. The department originally identified deferred maintenance needs across veterans homes totaling roughly $43.3 million, and LAO testimony warned that deferring maintenance can increase the likelihood of facility disruptions and greater costs later.

CalVet also described a trailer‑bill proposal to secure explicit statutory authority to continue using federal criminal‑background‑check databases (the FBI portion of checks), saying the Department of Justice asked state agencies to clarify statutory authority to access federal components of background checks. Officials said the statutory change would be required by 12/31/2026 to retain access to federal databases used for employment and volunteer background checks.

The Legislative Analyst's Office raised questions about the impact of withdrawing deferred‑maintenance funding and asked the Legislature to weigh any trade‑offs between short‑term budget solutions and potential greater costs or risks to resident safety if maintenance is delayed. No vote was taken on the CalVet items during the hearing.