VA and DOD Health Care: Efforts to Provide Seamless Transition of Care for OEF and OIF Servicemembers and Veterans

As of the end of March 2006, over 1.3 million U.S. military servicemembers had served or were serving in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). These servicemembers, including members of the reserves and National Guard, may be eligible to receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) while serving on active duty or upon separating from active duty. Although the Department of Defense (DOD) provides health care services to servicemembers under TRICARE, legislation passed by the Congress in May 1982 authorized VA to provide health care services to servicemembers in time of war or national emergency, when DOD may have insufficient resources to care for casualties. Through December 16, 2005, DOD had arranged for 193 active duty servicemembers with serious injuries--traumatic brain injuries and other complex trauma, such as missing limbs--to receive medical and rehabilitative care at VA polytrauma rehabilitation centers (PRC). In addition, about 30 percent (over 144,000) of the servicemembers who had separated from active duty following service in OEF or OIF have sought VA health care, including over 4,000 who received inpatient care at VA medical facilities. In September 2005, we testified on VA's collaboration with DOD to provide seamless transition of care for servicemembers between DOD and VA health care systems--that is, no interruption of care as the person moves from being a DOD patient to being a VA patient. We reported that VA has developed policies and procedures that direct its medical facilities to provide OEF and OIF servicemembers with timely access to care but that the sharing of health information between DOD and VA was limited. Congress asked us to update the information we provided in our testimony by reviewing the efforts VA is making to inform servicemembers and veterans about VA health care services and to help ensure that there is a seamless transition of care for servicemembers from DOD's to VA's health care system. We addressed the following questions: (1) What outreach efforts has VA made to inform OEF and OIF servicemembers and veterans about the VA health care services that may be available to them? (2) What actions has VA taken to facilitate the seamless transition of medical and rehabilitation care for seriously injured OEF and OIF servicemembers who are transferred between DOD medical treatment facilities (MTF) and PRCs? (3) What special educational activities or clinical tools is VA using to help ensure its medical providers are aware of and recognize the needs of eligible OEF and OIF servicemembers and veterans?