In 2014, Congress enacted the Choice Act, followed by the MISSION Act in 2018. Introduced in response to concerns that delays in receiving VA care were negatively impacting veterans, these legislations were designed to simplify the process for veterans to access VA-purchased care.
Legislators: Efforts to Smoothly Transition Servicemembers to VA Falls Short
Legislators took DoD and VA to task for their failures to ensure that servicemembers, especially those in need of mental health services, receive a warm handoff from one department to the other upon discharge.
Nearly $15 Billion Budget Shortfall Must Be Addressed This Month, VA Officials Said
Congress recessed for August without passing legislation to close the nearly $15 billion budget shortfall VA is facing for this year and next. The shortfall, which came to light in July, includes $2.88 billion for the remainder of FY2024 and $12 billion for FY2025.
VA EHR Rollout at Lovell Federal Healthcare Center Better Than Previous Sites, But Legislators Say Some Issues Persist
About six months ago, the James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center became the sixth VA site to switch to the Oracle-Cerner electronic health record (EHR).
Legislators Question Continued Usefulness of VISN System at VA
The Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), which group VA’s facilities into 18 interconnected regions, has been a key part of the department’s structure since they were created in the late 1990s. Now, following a series of key oversight failures at VA facilities and years of watchdog agencies reporting frustrating inconsistencies from VISN to VISN, legislators are wondering if this structure is really the best way to oversee VA’s 172 hospitals nationwide.
VA Projects $2.88 Billion Shortfall for This Fiscal Year; $12 Billion for Next Year
VA is projecting a $2.88 billion budget shortfall for the remainder of fiscal year 2024 and another $12 billion for FY2025. This comes after VA leaders spent this spring assuring Congress that its FY2025 budget request, while lean, would be sufficient to do the job.
Fewer Deaths After Serious Illness in Veterans Treated With PARC Care Model
After a serious illness, veterans who received medical care via the Post-Acute Recovery Center (PARC) model experienced fewer deaths and more days outside of the hospital compared to those not treated with PARC, according to a recent study.
Ilem Advocates for Disabled Veterans for a Quarter Century
There’s a well-worn quote about how laws are like sausages, in that you should never either being made. In reality, the legislative process can be even messier, more laborious, and require even more hands in its construction.
VA Resource Crunch Less Than Feared With PACT Act-Related Enrollment Surge
The VA is experiencing less of a resource crunch this year due to the PACT Act-related surge than previously expected, according to VA Secretary Denis McDonough. He gave the credit to early planning and increased hiring.
Women Veterans Receiving Surgery at the VHA Have Half the Risk of Mortality
Only 11% of U.S. military veterans are women, according to recent statistics, and they make up even a smaller percentage of patients using VA healthcare—about 10%.
VA Seeks ‘Maintenance Budget’ After Record Growth in Enrollment, Hiring
While VA’s proposed budget represents a 10% increase from last year, it includes decreases in key areas like hiring and infrastructure.
Does ‘Underserved’ Designation Demoralize Staff at VA Facilities?
For the past several years, VA has been identifying the most underserved facilities in its system and requiring them to create action plans to improve care to their veterans.
Opposing Trends for Accidental Death Rates in Returning Soldiers
A longitudinal cohort study, published in the Annals of Epidemiology, determined if risk for accidental death overall, or the most common types of accidental deaths, varied over time in relation to when a soldier returned from a combat deployment.
VA Healthcare Found to Generally Be More Efficient Than Private Care
Several recent studies have shown that VA healthcare is consistently as good as—or better than—non-VA healthcare. Now a study shows VA healthcare is also more efficient.
Military Healthcare Beneficiaries Have Better NSCLS Survival.
Does the universal healthcare provided by the U.S. military health system (MHS) mean better lung cancer survival for patients? A new study suggested that is the case.
VA Trying to Pick Up Slack for Rural Veterans Losing Community Healthcare
VA has long struggled to provide care to veterans in rural areas of the country. Veterans living there are frequently required to drive long distances to VA hospitals, and smaller VA clinics are not always available.
Nearly 20% of Veterans Showed Decline During Pandemic
While most U.S. veterans maintained or improved physical and mental function a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 20% showed a decline, according to a new study.
VA Healthcare, Fourth Mission Face Stresses From Continued Climate Change
With a worsening climate crisis, VA expects to be called upon more and more to implement its fourth mission—to act as a backstop for the nation’s overall healthcare network during times of emergency.
Veterans Treated in VAMCs for Some Common Conditions Had Better Outcomes
Outcomes were better for some common conditions among veterans treated in VA hospitals compared to community care, but the tradeoff often was higher resource use.
MHS Patients Receive Earlier Diagnoses for Colorectal, Other Cancers
Military Health System patients tend to receive earlier diagnoses of colon cancer and other types of malignancies than members of the general U.S. population covered by insurance, especially Medicaid.
DHA Restructures, Creating Nine Health Networks to Improve Care
In the first phase of a broader realignment, the Defense Health Agency has created nine Defense Health Networks (DHN) to take the place of what had been 20 direct-reporting medical markets, each a grouping of military hospitals and clinics with varying leadership rank structures.
Concerns Raised About ‘Buggy’ Website; VA’s Dependence on It
VA’s main website, va.gov, and several of its support systems have been the victim of bugs that have caused tens of thousands of VA benefits claims to go unprocessed.
Army Names Kenney and Petty Best Medics for 2023
Anyone with a 68W military occupation specialty signs up to go above and beyond the call of duty as a matter of course. As combat medic specialists, they provide life-saving treatment in the chaos and trauma of battle and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of their fellow soldiers on base.
Five Facilities Where New Cerner EHR Is Live Face Continuing Issues
As VA approaches the 3-year anniversary of the Cerner electronic health record system going live at its first site, the roll-out remains on indefinite hold as the department endeavors to fix problems at the five facilities where the system is active.
New Journal Article Decries Lack of Recognition for Military Medicine
A new Special Communication in JAMA Network Open decried that military medicine’s contribution to healthcare advances often are overlooked and that not enough communication occurs between civilian and military clinicians.
With Influx of Patients, VA Loses Ground in Filling Key Healthcare Positions
Despite a recent hiring surge, VA has been losing ground in filling key healthcare positions, with the number of severe shortages rising from this time last year.
Significant U.S. Military Response to Catastrophic Lahaina Wildfires in Hawaii
Devastating wildfires have been burning in Western Maui since the evening of Aug. 8, with Lahaina—the original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom—being the area most affected on the island.
VAMCs Outperform Community Hospitals Overall in CMS Quality Measures
The first time VA hospitals were included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, they aced it.
Key Differences Found Between Veterans Who Most Use VA, Those Who Don’t
The largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S., the VHA serves more than 9 million veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare program.
Despite Hiring at a Record Pace, VA Struggles to Meet PACT Act Demand
The 1-year anniversary occurred last month of the signing of the PACT Act—the sweeping legislation that expanded healthcare and benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.
