MICHAEL BRADY February 20, 2020
The Department of Veteran Affairs will double its spending
on long-term care for military veterans by 2037, according to a report from
the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Wednesday.
The number of vets who received long-term care
support from the VA rose 14% from 2014 to 2018, while the VA's long-term care
spending jumped 33% during that period, going from $6.8 billion to $9.1
billion. That growth is expected to continue as veterans get older and have
more disabilities related to their military service. Long-term care spending on
veterans is expected to reach $14.7 billion in 2037.
"As one of the largest healthcare systems
in the United States, VA faces challenges similar to other healthcare providers
when seeking to meet the growing need for long-term care as the U.S. population
ages," GAO said.
The agency is having trouble finding enough
workers to care for aging and disabled veterans and providing care in the areas
where it's most needed. The VA is also struggling to provide specialty care to
its long-term care population.
"Most veterans receive long-term care
through noninstitutional programs in their homes or communities, while others
receive more extensive care in institutional programs such as nursing
homes," GAO said.
Officials plan to improve veterans' access to
noninstitutional programs like veterans' homes to reduce the agency's reliance
on nursing homes and rein in costs. But it hasn't set any
measurable goals to address the workforce shortages, geography problems or
specialty care access, according to GAO.
The watchdog recommended that the VA establish
measurable goals to address its long-term care challenges and improve its
management structure for handling veterans' long-term needs. The VA should also
standardize the tool it uses to assess the noninstitutional needs of vets
across the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, GAO said.
VA officials agreed with GAO's recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment