About Us
Office of VA/DoD Health Affairs
Overview
The Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Office of VA/DoD Health Affairs (OHA) serves as VHA’s lead in coordinating and facilitating collaboration activities with the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health Systems (MHS).
OHA coordinates and provides policy guidance for programs as they relate to activities of the congressionally mandated VA/DoD Health Executive Committee (HEC) on behalf of the Under Secretary for Health (USH) who serves as the VA HEC co-chair. OHA provides national-level policy guidance and oversight for sharing of medical resources between VA and DoD and manages the VA/DoD Joint Incentive Fund (JIF), which increases access to health care, improves quality and continuity of care, and drives cost savings for VA and DoD. OHA provides enterprise-level guidance on DoD TRICARE with embedded VA staff at the TRICARE Health Plan Office to manage VA/DoD relationships, promote VA/DoD sharing, and serve as the primary VA point of contact for TRICARE issues.
OHA provides leadership and oversight to the Federal Recovery Consultant Office (FRCO) formerly known as the Federal Recovery Coordination Program (FRCP) which provides enterprise-level longitudinal consultation services and assistance to VA and DoD Lead Coordinators (LCs), Care Management Teams (CMTs), and select Servicemembers, Veterans (SM/V), and their families. OHA manages the Army War College Fellowship program for VHA by providing a unique experience via exposure and access to a broad range of interagency health care programs that encourage strategic and critical thinking.
Functions and Activities
VA/DoD Coordination Office
- Coordinates VA/DoD Health Executive Committee (HEC) activities and supports the flow of information to the VA/DoD Joint Executive Committee (JEC).
- Coordinates HEC efforts with the seven Business Lines (BLs), 25+ Work Groups (WGs), DoD/VA Centers of Excellence (CoEs), and the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (JALFHCC) Advisory Board to improve mutual processes, eliminate redundancies, and streamline joint efforts between the Military Health System (MHS) and VHA.
- Provides HEC input to the VA/DoD Joint Strategic Plan (JSP), JEC Annual Report and JEC Annual Guidance; monitors all JEC priority initiatives until completion.
- Collaborates with senior medical leadership within the National Guard, United States Marine Corps (USMC) Reserve, and Army Reserves to educate them on VHA programs, build and maintain professional relationships, and serve as a problem-solving resource when issues arise.
- Serves as VHA’s primary liaison for AMSUS, The Society of Federal Health Professionals, annual conference.
VA/DoD Medical Sharing Office (MSO)
- Collaborates, facilitates, and sustains effective partnerships and mutually supportive relationships on all matters related to joint health care initiatives and activities between VHA and the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Health Agency (DHA), and TRICARE Health Plan.
- Provides national-level policy guidance and oversight for sharing medical resources between VHA and DoD.
- Provides national-level policy guidance and oversight for the VA/DoD Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund (aka Joint Incentive Fund or JIF) Program.
- Provides guidance on DoD TRICARE with embedded VA TRICARE Liaisons who promote DoD/VHA sharing; serves as points of contact for regional TRICARE issues supporting VHA’s transition efforts for Veterans and Servicemembers; and enhances VA/DoD bi-directional communications through monthly training for VAMC and VISN staff on TRICARE referrals, authorizations and billing processes.
- Provides senior-level leadership and direction for the support and accomplishment of all healthcare related VHA/DoD JSP goals, objectives, strategies/milestones, and performance measures encompassing the use of medical resource sharing agreements.
Federal Recovery Consultant Office (FRCO)
- Provides enterprise-level consultation and navigation to VA and DoD Lead Coordinator (LCs) and Care Management Teams (CMTs), providing clinical and non-clinical assistance and advice regarding DoD, VA, other Federal agencies, community, and other resources available to support the Servicemember, Veterans (SM/V), and the family or caregiver.
- Provides policy direction, administrative and operational support for ten (10) Federal Recovery Consultants (FRCs) located at key locations: strategic military treatment facilities (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, San Antonio Military Medical Center, and Naval Medical Center San Diego); headquarters for the military’s wounded warrior programs (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and US Special Operations Command); and select VHA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (Tampa and Richmond).
- Provides guidance and high intensity-management to a small subset of the SM/V population while providing a channel of communication for field level staff to assist Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) and VHA Central Office leadership, as well as assigned military headquarters leadership in identifying, validating, and implementing proposed improvements for care and benefits coordination and processes.
Authorities
38 U.S. Code § 8111
38 U.S. Code § 320
Who Can I Contact For More Information?
Contact the OHA Action Group at: VHA10BVA-DoDHealthAffairsAction@va.gov
