DoD Report – Tune in weekdays at 40 minutes past the hour for the latest news on the Defense Department. The DoD Report can be heard on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris (6-10 a.m.) and the DorobekINSIDER with Chris Dorobek (3-7 p.m.). Listen live at FederalNewsRadio.com or on the radio at 1500 and 820 AM in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The DoD Report is brought to you by Dell.

• A powerful House leader worries the families of fallen service members may not be getting the life insurance payments they’re entitled to. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus Towns of New York has asked Prudential’s CEO for more information on the company’s management of the insurance programs for members of the military. Currently, families receive checks they can use to to withdraw money, but Towns says they’re entitled to automatic lump-sum payments. And he worries that families may not understand that right.
• The Veterans Affairs Department is moving forward with modernizing its Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture – or VISTA – records system. Seeking to enable a single, lifetime electronic health record, the Veterans Affairs Department adopted a 10-digit identifier to be used from enlistment to death. VA’s CIO, Roger Baker, tells reporters the identifier will support data exchange between VA and the Defense Department, NextGov reports. The 2004 Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 called for creation of a standard identifier for federal employees and contractors. In 2009, President Obama announced a the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record project for service members. Federal News Radio’s Scott Carr spoke with Baker about what’s next. To listen to the interview, click here.

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