BUTLER TWP — An online records service for veterans that has been cultivated by the Department of Veterans Affairs for more than a decade is approaching its next big leap, and attracting more veterans in Butler County.

Lauren Heiger, VA Butler Healthcare’s MyHealtheVet coordinator since the program rolled out in 2003, said the service has grown greatly since then.

Heiger said the VA Butler system has set up points-of-access for veterans at its main offices in Butler Township and its five outpatient clinics.

The points-of-access offer secure Internet connections for veterans who don’t have access to computers or the Web at home, or simply need help navigating the system. But MyHealtheVet can be used by any veteran any time they choose as long as they have the Internet.

Using the service is as simple as registering with MyHealtheVet, which requires having a person’s identity authenticated and results in the creation of a “basic” account.

A basic account gives the veteran access to services like a personal health journal; tools to help track personal and contact information for doctors and other health care providers; tools that can record and track personal health measurements like blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and pain level; and a service that helps veterans set personal health goals.

A basic account can also be set up by non-veterans, Heiger said, but that won’t be linked to medical records or other services available to veterans.

The true potential of MyHealtheVet is unlocked when a veteran creates a premium account, Heiger said.

That process, which also links the veteran’s Department of Defense records, usually takes about one day and requires a more rigorous identity verification process. Getting a veteran’s medical records linked to the account usually takes between one and seven days for the VA Butler system, said spokesman Amanda Kurtz.

“It’s one integrated medical record for the veteran,” she said.

A premium account — which is available only for veterans and patients of the VA — gives users access to critical health care and military records.

Veterans can track medical reports, future and past appointments and medication history, and communicate via digital messaging with VA doctors and other members of their VA medical team.

“We consider this a one-stop shop,” Heiger said, adding that veterans can also sign a consent form to allow their dependents access to the service.

Heiger said the service has enjoyed widespread success as it has added functionality since its 2003 rollout. She said 85 percent of VA Butler’s veterans are MyHealtheVet users.

And it’s not just younger veterans taking advantage. Nationwide, the average age of MyHealtheVet users is 65. In VA Butler’s service area, Heiger said, the average age of users is 70.

The integration is particularly important for systems like VA Butler, Heiger said. Butler’s domiciliary care services host veterans from across the country, who need access to their records kept by other VA systems, and because the system often sends patients to larger VA systems, such as Pittsburgh, for specialty care services, the integration of medical records and ability to communicate via online messages streamlines services.

The service also allows veterans to share a VA medical record with outside doctors, Heiger said.

The latest addition to MyHealtheVet is the Blue Button. It allows veterans to download their records and store them in a variety of forms.

“In 2007 this service really started to take off, as more vets began to register,” Heiger said. “Now, it’s moving faster than a freight train.”

The federal government has already rolled out another digital platform — www.vets.gov — that aims to collect military records and services like MyHealtheVet all in one online portal. Heiger said the VA is working with veterans’ focus groups on the portal.

“It will be one access point for the veteran, and that’s so important,” Heiger said.

But before then the next big leap for MyHealtheVet will be shifting the service to other platforms — such as smart phones.

A rollout of the HTML 5-based app for MyHealtheVet is expected this year, Heiger said, and will include services for tracking medication shipments, an alert system to help remind veterans of medical appointments in the VA system, and an expansion of the digital messaging system that allows veterans to communicate with VA doctors and specialists.

“It allows the veteran opportunities and tools to engage in their health care experience with us,” Heiger said. “I consider that a win-win.”