VA Health Care: Variabilities in Outpatient Care Eligibility and Rationing Decisions
HRD-93-106
Published: Jul 16, 1993. Publicly Released: Jul 22, 1993.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on veterans' access to Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) outpatient care, focusing on how VA: (1) determines veterans' eligibility for outpatient care; and (2) rations care when resources are insufficient to serve all eligible veterans.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| If Congress prefers that the current priorities for discretionary outpatient care be implemented consistently on a systemwide basis, it should direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a different system for allocating its resources to the medical centers so that veterans within the same priority categories, to the extent practical, receive access to discretionary outpatient care at each medical center. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
The House VA Committee has acknowledged that eligibility reform of VA health-care is a priority agenda item. In July 1995, VA presented its proposed eligibility reform legislation. Congress, however, has not indicated an intention to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a better resource allocation method as part of VA's overall eligibility reform initiative. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should either: (1) develop and propose to Congress alternative eligibility criteria that produce greater consistency among medical centers in eligibility determinations; or (2) provide better guidance to centers so that clinicians may achieve more consistent determinations when interpreting the current criteria. |
Closed – Implemented
VA presented its legislative proposal to reform eligibility for the Department of Veterans Affairs health-care benefits to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in July 1995.
|
Full Report
Office of Public Affairs
Topics
Eligibility criteriaEligibility determinationsHealth care servicesHealth services administrationHospital care servicesPatient care servicesPhysiciansVeterans benefitsVeterans hospitalsOutpatient care