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Open Recommendations

Veterans Community Care Program: Additional Information on VA Statutory Appointment Timeliness Measurements is Needed

GAO-24-105308
Mar 28, 2024
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of VA should ensure VA engages with congressional oversight committees on its limitations in collecting data on referral acceptance dates to determine any potential refinements to the Isakson-Roe Act requirements or seek legislative relief as appropriate. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of VA should ensure that VA disclose, to any users of its Isakson-Roe Act bi-weekly updates to the community care appointment scheduling timeliness measurements, the quantity of referrals used to generate each measurement. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Service Members Transitioning to Civilian Life: Agencies Can Improve Warm Handovers for Additional Assistance

GAO-24-106248
Mar 21, 2024
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop a written plan to analyze its available Transition Assistance Program data to identify reasons why transitioning service members who should receive a warm handover are not receiving one, and take appropriate action to collect additional warm handover data. Actions could include requiring Transition Assistance Program officials to provide an explanation when not providing a warm handover. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop a process to regularly request updated online contact information from receiving agencies, including VA and DOL, to help ensure that Transition Assistance Program officials can connect service members with agency programs through warm handovers. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop additional guidance to commanders and their designees on verifying warm handovers and on recording the verifications in the Transition Assistance Program database. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with interagency partners, such as DOL and VA, should develop a plan to assess the helpfulness of warm handovers as a part of its overall assessment of the Transition Assistance Program. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop and implement a process to share information and findings on the helpfulness of warm handover from partner agencies with military service branches, including Transition Assistance Program counselors and other stakeholders. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs coordinates with DOL and VA through the Transition Assistance Program interagency partnership to identify criteria and standards for the ENPP and TSMRC pilot projects to determine whether and how to scale the piloted approaches into the overall warm handover process. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Veterans Health: VA Should Improve Its Monitoring of Severe Maternal Complications and Mental Health Screenings

GAO-24-106209
Jan 16, 2024
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that as OWH begins monitoring SMM on an ongoing basis, it disaggregates and reviews data on trends in SMM by veteran characteristics, such as race and ethnicity, age, or whether veterans lived in a rural area. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that OWH finalizes the development of and implements a systematic process to compile and review data on MCC screening of veterans for mental health conditions on an ongoing basis. This process should include data on MCCs' completion of required mental health screenings, as well as screening results. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

VA Disability Benefits: Board of Veterans' Appeals Should Address Gaps in Its Quality Assurance Process

GAO-24-106156
Nov 28, 2023
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Board of Veterans Appeals The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals should develop written policies and procedures related to its accuracy rate measure, to require that OAI (1) involves more than one official in the calculation process; (2) documents its calculation of monthly and fiscal year accuracy rates; and (3) manages related error data. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Board agreed in principle with this recommendation. Board officials stated the recommendation should clarify the Board's need for a policy and procedure to manage data: the loss of data was specific to fiscal years 2019 and 2020. However, we note that the data loss stemmed from not having policies and procedures and without them, these types of data management issues could occur again. We continue to believe that having policies and procedures are an important part of internal control. Without written policies and procedures, the Board could face further challenges such as additional data loss, improperly storing data, or using inconsistent methodologies.
Board of Veterans Appeals The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals should monitor how veteran law judges choose to incorporate the feedback they receive from the case review process—including whether errors are corrected—and use this data to inform decision making related to the case review process. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Board agreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress to implement it.
Board of Veterans Appeals The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals should develop and implement an evidence-based decision-making process that includes a plan outlining how it will build evidence to assess the underlying causes for the most common errors identified by the case review process and the most common reasons for CAVC remands. The Board should use this evidence to better target its interventions and assess their results. One option is to fold the development of this process into the Board's planned evaluation. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The Board agreed in principle with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's efforts to implement it.
Board of Veterans Appeals The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals should study how to evaluate VLJ adjudicative decisional consistency. One option is to fold the development of this study into the Board's planned evaluation. (Recommendation 4)
Open
The Board disagreed with this recommendation. Board officials stated that it would be inappropriate to force consistency in VLJ decisions in a way that is inconsistent with codes of judicial conduct and other standards applicable to VLJs. They stated that there will and should be variance in how legal authority is applied to the individual facts and circumstances of each case appealed to the Board. Board officials further stated that VLJs should be independent and not subject to pressure and influence. They also stated that, as part of evaluating individual VLJs' adherence to performance standards, the Board evaluates the total number of decisions each VLJ has adjudicated and the manner in which they have adjudicated them, among other things. In addition, Board officials noted that the number of decisions remanded does not demonstrate whether such remands were warranted, and that the number of CAVC remands or reversals does not necessarily correlate with productivity, legal acumen, or even with performance. Finally, they said that the concept of "consistency" of decision-making among individual judges evaluating sets of facts and circumstances of each individual case is a difficult one to address at all levels of adjudication, not only at the Board, but also at CAVC. We acknowledge the importance of judicial independence, that some degree of variance is expected given that independence, and that variation is not necessarily an indicator of poor quality decision-making. In addition, the Board acknowledges that consistency among VLJs in the use of appropriate legal authority is appropriate. However, without studying consistency, the Board will remain unaware of whether systemic inconsistencies in VLJ decision-making exist, and the Board will be unable to target interventions, as appropriate. We continue to believe that the results of systematic study of VLJ adjudicative decisions for consistency could provide a basis for targeting interventions, such as training, to assist VLJs. As such, this recommendation is not intended to "force" consistency in any VLJ decisions, but rather is meant to help the Board assist VLJs. Our recommendation is worded to allow the Board the necessary latitude to implement it in a way that allows for the retention of judicial independence while meeting other goals it deems appropriate.