WASHINGTON – – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is delivering high quality health care, veterans benefits and memorial services to the nation’s veterans, according to VA’s FY 2001 Annual Performance Report submitted recently to the President and the Congress.
“Veterans health care sets the national standard in patient safety and the measurement of quality outcomes,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “We have started a long-term project to maintain our national cemeteries as national shrines. The quality of claims processing has improved significantly.”
According to the Performance Report, VA has made a significant improvement in the quality of claims processing, going from an accuracy rate of 59 percent in 2000 to 78 percent for rating-related actions in 2001. Principi said that making further improvements in timeliness is one of his major goals.
In health care, VA continues to receive higher satisfaction ratings than the private sector. Last year, VA was one of five winners of the “Innovations in American Government” award for reducing adverse medical events and developing a culture of safety.
VA’s system of national cemeteries received a rating of “excellent” from 92 percent of respondents who received services from a cemetery recently. The opening of a new national cemetery, grants to states for state veterans cemeteries and programs to maintain the facilities as “national shrines” also account for overwhelming satisfaction among veterans and their families.
The annual Performance Report was based on 126 performance goals identified by Principi at the beginning of the year, 26 of which were considered critical to the success of the department. Some of these deal with outcomes, while others are concerned with the management of programs.
VA met 67 percent of the goals for which there were data. Six goals did not have data, including two that established baselines for future comparison. Another 7 percent showed improvement over the previous year, although they did not reach the goal.
Among the highlights in the report:
· Health care quality continued to improve, as measured by such technical standards as the Chronic Disease Care Index and the Prevention Index.
· Although claims processing has become increasingly complex, VA is committed to improve the timeliness of claims processing and has developed strategies to accomplish future goals.
· Use of the Montgomery GI Bill increased due to improved benefits.
· The foreclosure avoidance rate on GI Bill home loan guarantees improved due to aggressive efforts to help veterans with mortgages in default.
· Over 65 percent of service-disabled veterans who completed a vocational rehabilitation program acquired and maintained suitable employment.
· The VA insurance program continued its excellent service as evidenced by the improvement in the timeliness of processing benefits.
· In 2001, 96 percent of respondents to a customer satisfaction survey rated the appearance of national cemeteries as excellent, up from 82 percent in 2000.
VA’s FY 2001 Annual Performance Report can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.va.gov/budget/report/index.htm.
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