Disabled Veterans' Care: Better Data and More Accountability Needed to Adequately Assess Care
HEHS-00-57
Published: Apr 21, 2000. Publicly Released: May 16, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) compliance with the requirements to maintain capacity and access for veterans with special disabilities, focusing on: (1) the accuracy of the conclusions in VA's fiscal year (FY) 1998 annual capacity report; and (2) challenges facing VA in managing its special disability programs.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | To help ensure compliance with the law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct the Under Secretary for Health to assign lead responsibility to a headquarters unit for initiating efforts to monitor and determine the causes for apparent declines in capacity. |
Closed – Implemented
VA created a position in the Office of Patient Care Services to serve as the national coordinator for special disability program activities. The person will work with field and headquarters' offices responsible for service delivery, data, quality, resource and reporting issues, and will serve to provide increased emphasis on VA's continuing efforts to better coordinate responsibilities among the various offices. In addition, each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) designated their clinical manager as coordinator for special disability programs to work with the headquarters' coordinator.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | To help ensure compliance with the law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct the Under Secretary for Health to assign lead responsibility to a headquarters unit for developing job performance standards for employees who are responsible for allocating and managing the resources used to serve veterans with special disabilities. |
Closed – Implemented
VA has appointed a national coordinator for special disability program activities located in the Office of Patient Care Services. This coordinator has been assigned the task of ensuring that the job performance standards for employees who are responsible for allocating and managing the resources used to serve veterans with special disabilities are completed and implemented. Performance standards, related to the quality of care provided to special disability program patients have been implemented for VA's 22 network directors. In addition, performance standards related to the maintenance of capacity to treat all types of special disability program patients have also been implemented.
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Topics
AccountabilityData integrityHealth care cost controlHealth care servicesPerformance measuresPeople with disabilitiesRehabilitation programsVeteransVeterans benefitsQuality of care