VA Health Care: Financial and Quality Control Changes Needed in Domiciliary Care
HRD-87-57
Published: Jun 18, 1987. Publicly Released: Jun 18, 1987.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed the Veterans Administration's (VA) domiciliaries to determine whether they: (1) enforced VA financial eligibility criteria for domiciliary care; (2) performed and documented required physical examinations; and (3) developed individual treatment plans for eligible veterans.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should amend VA regulations to raise the monthly income limit for domiciliary care. The regulations should also allow for: (1) automatic adjustments to tie the limit to cost-of-living changes; and (2) taking the veteran's family size into account. |
Closed – Implemented
Public Law 100-322 raised the income limitation for determining eligibility to receive domiciliary care from $415.00 per month to an amount equal to the prevailing pension rate plus aid and attendance, currently $828.00 per month. Implementing instructions to the field are in process.
|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should direct the Chief Medical Director to enforce compliance with quality assurance procedures. Specifically, the domiciliaries should: (1) perform all required medical examinations; (2) develop required therapeutic treatment plans within the established time frames; and (3) document medical diagnoses, planned treatment, and treatment results in patients' medical records. |
Closed – Implemented
A VA directive dated June 1987 required VA officials to enforce the program requirements contained in VA Manual M5, part IV, which implements the GAO recommendations.
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Topics
Elderly personsEligibility criteriaExtended care facilitiesHealth care servicesQuality controlStatutory lawVeterans benefitsVeterans hospitalsVeteransMedical examinations