This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-04-853 entitled 'VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program: GAO Comments on Key Task Force Findings and Recommendations' which was released on June 15, 2004. This text file was formatted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. 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United States General Accounting Office: GAO: Report to the Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, House of Representatives: VA VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM: GAO Comments on Key Task Force Findings and Recommendations: June 2004: GAO-04-853: Contents: Letter: Appendix I: Briefing Slides: Related GAO Products: Abbreviations: C&P: Compensation and Pension: DOD: Department of Defense: DOL: Department of Labor: IT: information technology: VA: Department of Veterans Affairs: VBA: Veterans Benefits Administration: VHA: Veterans Health Administration: VR&E: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment: United States General Accounting Office: Washington, DC 20548: June 15, 2004: The Honorable Lane Evans: Ranking Democratic Member: Committee on Veterans' Affairs: House of Representatives: Dear Mr. Evans: This report responds to your request for an analysis of the findings and recommendations contained in the March 2004 report of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Task Force on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E).[Footnote 1] You requested this work as part of our ongoing review of VA's VR&E program. The mission of the VR&E program is to provide comprehensive services and assistance necessary to enable veterans with service-connected disabilities and employment handicaps to become employable, then obtain and maintain stable and suitable employment. We agreed to review and comment on the Task Force report's key findings and recommendations and make general observations about these findings and recommendations in light of our previous and ongoing work in the area. To meet these objectives, we attended Task Force public fact- finding sessions, interviewed the Task Force chairman and VR&E central and regional office staff, and reviewed and analyzed Task Force report findings and recommendations. We conducted our work in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. On May 27, 2004, we briefed your office on the results of our work. This report formally conveys the information provided during that briefing. Appendix I contains the briefing slides. In summary, we generally agree with the Task Force's three key findings. We agree that VR&E has not been a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) priority in terms of returning veterans with service-connected disabilities to the workforce. GAO has reported that the VR&E program emphasized education and not employment, and we have recommended that VBA focus on obtaining suitable employment for disabled veterans. Although we have not specifically reviewed VR&E's capacity to manage its workload, we agree that many of the VR&E management systems identified by the Task Force as needing improvement are fundamental to the proper functioning of all federal programs. Finally, we agree that the VR&E program needs to be modernized. We have reported that VA uses outmoded criteria for establishing disability ratings, which are used to determine who is eligible for VR&E. Furthermore, we have designated VA disability programs as high risk in part because they use these outmoded criteria for determining disability. Regarding the Task Force recommendations, we observed that disabled veterans might continue to use the program for education in the absence of an equally beneficial alternative, even if VR&E adds employment tracks to reflect veterans' diverse employment-related needs. Furthermore, implementing the Task Force recommendations will be a major challenge for VBA: * Some recommended changes may require assistance from other agencies, such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor. * Other recommendations, such as changes to eligibility determination, may require legislative changes. * The large number of near-term recommendations will require prioritizing to determine what can be done within the existing budget. In providing oral comments on a draft of the briefing, VA generally concurred with our comments and observations. We are sending copies of this report to the Honorable Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Honorable Anthony J. Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. We will also make copies available to others upon request. If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me on (202) 512-7101 or Irene Chu, Assistant Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, on (202) 512-7102. Margaret Boeckmann, Connie Peebles Barrow, and Joseph J. Natalicchio also made key contributions to this report. Sincerely yours, Signed by: Cynthia A. Bascetta: Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues: [End of section] Appendix I: Briefing Slides: [See PDF for image] [End of slide presentation] [End of section] Related GAO Products: VA Benefits: Fundamental Changes to VA's Disability Criteria Need Careful Consideration. GAO-03-1172T. Washington, D.C.: September 23, 2003. High-Risk Series: An Update. GAO-03-119. Washington, D.C.: January 2003. Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Veterans Affairs. GAO-03-110. Washington, D.C.: January 2003. SSA and VA Disability Programs: Re-Examination of Disability Criteria Needed to Help Ensure Program Integrity. GAO-02-597. Washington, D.C.: August 9, 2002. Vocational Rehabilitation: Opportunities to Improve Program Effectiveness. GAO/T-HEHS-98-87. Washington, D.C.: February 4, 1998. Veterans Benefits Administration: Focusing on Results in Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Programs. GAO/T-HEHS-97-148. Washington, D.C.: June 5, 1997. Vocational Rehabilitation: VA Continues to Place Few Disabled Veterans in Jobs. GAO/HEHS-96-155. Washington, D.C.: September 3, 1996. Vocational Rehabilitation: Better VA Management Needed to Help Disabled Veterans Find Jobs. GAO/HRD-92-100. Washington, D.C.: September 4, 1992. VA Can Provide More Employment Assistance to Veterans Who Complete Its Vocational Rehabilitation Program. GAO/HRD-84-39. Washington, D.C.: May 23, 1984. FOOTNOTES [1] Department of Veterans Affairs. Report to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program for the 21st Century Veteran (Washington, DC: March 2004). GAO's Mission: The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability. Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony: The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is through the Internet. 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