DOD and VA Health Care: Incentives Program for Sharing Health Resources
Abstract
Combined, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide health care services to about 16.8 million beneficiaries at an estimated cost of $58 billion for fiscal year 2005--$30.4 billion for DOD and $27.7 billion for VA. In 1982, the Congress passed the Veterans' Administration and Department of Defense Health Resources Sharing and Emergency Operations Act (Sharing Act) to promote more cost-effective use of health care resources and more efficient delivery of care. Specifically, the Congress authorized DOD and VA to enter into sharing agreements with each other to buy, sell, and barter medical and support services. To further encourage ongoing collaboration, the Congress passed the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2003, which directed the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a joint incentives program to identify and provide incentives to implement, fund, and evaluate creative health care coordination and sharing initiatives between DOD and VA. Under the program, DOD and VA are to solicit proposals from their program offices, DOD military treatment facilities, or VA medical facilities for project initiatives at least annually. DOD and VA health care officials are to develop program guidelines and establish project evaluation and selection criteria. To facilitate the program, each secretary is required to contribute a minimum of $15 million from each department's appropriation into an account established in the U.S. Treasury for each fiscal year from 2004 through 2007. The Financial Management Workgroup (FMWG) under the Health Executive Council (HEC) administers the Incentive Fund program. The NDAA also requires that we submit a report on the implementation of the program by February 28 of each fiscal year the program is in effect.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 28, 2005
- Accession Number
- AD1157476
Entities
People
- Aditi Archer
- Cynthia A. Bascetta
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office