DoD and VA Health Care: Access for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DOD) reported that under its current policy, beneficiaries eligible for both TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) health care (dual eligible beneficiaries) are not allowed to utilize the services offered by both health care systems for treatment for the same episode of care. For example, if a beneficiary experiences back pain and seeks treatment from VA, the beneficiary must then receive all care related to that back pain from VA. Should the beneficiary then decide to seek treatment for the back pain from TRICARE, any claims related to that care would be denied. According to DOD, this policy was established to ensure continuity of care for beneficiaries and to ensure that there was no duplication of care or of payments from TRICARE or VA. Under the policy, if beneficiaries are dissatisfied with the care provided by VA, they are unable to switch to TRICARE to receive services for the same episode of care.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 13, 2003
Accession Number
AD1170270

Entities

People

  • Cynthia A. Bascetta

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Accounting
  • Business Administration
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Electronic Mail
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • House Of Representatives
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Pain
  • Public Administration
  • United States
  • Websites

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Medical or Health Care Field.