MQAS Health Care Financial Assurance Division (HCFAD)

HCFAD supports Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and National Cemetery Administration (NCA) chief financial officers (CFOs) by providing a variety of audits and reviews designed to evaluate and improve VHA and NCA financial information.  During reviews, HCFAD ensures financial data is complete, reliable, timely, consistent, and responsive to the financial information needs of the VHA and NCA CFO.

HCFAD is divided into two teams, with two main focus areas: Revenue and Expenditures. Based on an annual risk assessment of each focus area, HCFAD reviews the major financial operations at Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) medical facilities, including any associated national cemetery accounting transactions for the associated medical facility. The purpose of the reviews is to evaluate management and oversight of existing management operations and to identify areas requiring improvement, providing specific recommendations as needed. Overall, HCFAD:

• Evaluates VA financial reporting for compliance with applicable accounting standards, including directives from VA, Government Accountability Office, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Treasury.

• Develops financial review schedules in each project area based on statistical and judgmental sampling and VA CFO Council direction to ensure financial oversight for selected high-risk facilities.

• Develops financial review schedules for NCA financial operations in conjunction with reviews for associated VHA medical facilities.

• Evaluates VHA facility operations for financial compliance with governing policies.  If followed, governing policies provide assurance that public resources are accounted for and used as intended.

• Provides a VHA-wide perspective on ways to increase revenue at medical facilities.

• Ensures opportunities for financial improvement are reported to managers for action based on the information collected during the reviews.

• Provides assurance that VHA medical facilities have effective and efficient internal controls and provide oversight for collecting and managing revenue.

• Measures VA compliance with Prompt Payment Act requirements.

• Shares in-house VHA/NCA and financial management expertise with other VA Central Office, VHA, and NCA and other MQAS entities.

• Identifies, tracks, and communicates notable practices employed in the field to VHA/NCA management and other MQAS divisions.

Revenue Review Team

This team focuses on reviews of revenue activities at VHA medical facilities.  Areas reviewed include pre-registration, means tests, insurance identification, insurance verification, billing, and accounts receivable.  In addition, the team reviews stewardship funds, which include Agent Cashier, personal funds of patients, general post funds, and NCA gift fund.  Other tasks assigned include special projects and enhanced sharing self-certification validation desk reviews.  These self-certification reviews determine whether sharing agreements (selling) and contracts recover costs and comply with the CFO Act of 1990 and OMB Circular A-125.

Expenditure Review Team

This team concentrates on expenditure activities at VHA medical facilities and associated national cemeteries.  Areas reviewed include fiscal service control environment, system access controls, purchase card program, payment processing, personal funds of patients, Agent Cashier operations, management of undelivered orders, travel card program, fixed assets and real property, general post funds, payroll operations, and supply fund/1VA+ fund.   The team’s focus is assuring medical facility management and the VA, VHA, NCA CFOs that VHA/NCA expenditures are made appropriately, efficiently, economically, and in accordance with legislative requirements.

To Find Out More...

If you would like to know more about these services contact the Health Care Financial Assurance Division Associate Director at 512-438-6288.