Veteran's Health Care: Agency Efforts to Provide and Study Prosthetics for Small but Growing Female Veteran Population

Abstract

Why GAO Did This Study. Women are the fastest growing veteran subpopulation, with the number of female veterans using VHA health care services increasing 29 percent from 2014 to 2019. Female veterans accounted for an estimated 10 percent of the total veteran population in fiscal year 2019. They are eligible to receive a full range of VHA health care services, including obtaining prosthetics. House Report 115-188 included a provision for GAO to review VHA's prosthetic services for female veterans. This report examines 1) trends in prosthetics provided by VHA to female veterans; 2) characteristics of the female veteran population with limb loss and how VHA provides prosthetic services to these veterans through its Amputation System of Care; and 3) VHA's research efforts and the challenges that exist in studying prosthetics for female veterans with limb loss.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1149383

Entities

People

  • Alison Granger
  • E. J. Whipple
  • Giao N. Nguyen
  • Jacquelyn Hamilton
  • Jennie F. Apter
  • Jessica Farb
  • Raymond Sendejas
  • Vikki Porter

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amputees
  • Assistive Technologies
  • Congress
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Lower Limb Amputations
  • Lower Limb Prostheses
  • Medical Personnel
  • Patient Care
  • Prostheses And Implants
  • Prosthetics
  • Residual Limbs
  • Surgical Amputations
  • United States Government
  • Upper Limb Amputations

Readers

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  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Trauma Surgery or Emergency Medicine.