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VA Health Care: Additional Steps Could Help Improve Community Care Budget Estimates

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Sept. 30, 2020
Release Date Sept. 30, 2020
Report No. GAO-20-669
Summary:

Most veterans seeking Department of Veterans Affairs medical services use its 170 medical centers or over 1,000 outpatient facilities. Veterans may also use community care—services from non-VA providers—in some cases, such as when they face long waits or drive times to VA facilities. Congress expanded access to community care beginning in June 2019.

The VA estimates community care will cost $21.3 billion in FY 2022—a 45% increase from FY 2018—in part because of the recent expansion.

We found ways the VA could improve its actuarial modeling and make its budget estimates more reliable. We recommended it make these improvements.

Resources Needed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for Community Care, FY 2018-2022

Bar graph showing the actual costs of the VA Community Care program in 2018 and 2019 vs. its estimated costs for 2020-2022, including costs for the expanded program.

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