Veterans' Benefits: Savings From Reducing VA Pensions to Medicaid-Supported Nursing Home Residents

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) administration of its veterans' and survivors' pension program, focusing on: (1) reductions to pensions paid to veterans without dependents who receive Medicaid-supported nursing home care, expected to result from provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990; (2) estimates of additional reductions if OBRA is amended to include survivors; and (3) VA implementation of OBRA.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Veterans Affairs	To improve the implementation of pension reduction legislation for survivors if their pensions are reduced, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should provide VA regional offices with a control listing of cases to be reviewed for pension reduction and require the regional offices to use the listing to record the results of the review of each case.	Closed – Implemented Legislation reducing survivors' pensions was enacted. VA provided regional offices with a control listing of cases to be reviewed in a review of surviving spouses' cases.
Department of Veterans Affairs	To improve the implementation of pension reduction legislation for survivors if their pensions are reduced, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should prepare and send notification letters that will clearly explain the impact of the pension reduction.	Closed – Implemented Legislation reducing survivors' pensions was enacted. VA, through coordination with the Medicaid Bureau, added language to the Medicaid notification letters to more clearly explain the impact of pension reduction.

Full Report

Full Report (17 pages)

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Topics

Retirement Security

Employee survivors benefitsFuture budget projectionsHealth care cost controlInteragency relationsInternal controlsNursing homesProposed legislationVeterans benefitsVeterans pensionsMedicaid