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Office of Budget

Fiscal Year 2005 Performance and Accountability Report
Published November 15, 2005

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Strategic Goal Two: Smooth Transition to Civilian Life

Strategic Objective 2.1: Reentry into Civilian Life

Ease the reentry of new veterans into civilian life by increasing awareness of, access to, and use of VA health care, benefits, and services.

Performance Trends and Impact of FY 2005 Results

Performance Trend FY 2005 Impact
Supporting Measure: Percentage of VAMCs contracted to serve as TRICARE network providers**
* Estimated result. Final data are not yet available.
**FY 2005 was the baseline year; thus no target had been identified.
2005 Result 87%*
2006 Plan 80%
Strategic Target 90%
The 87 percent result for 2005 means that more active duty patients are being transferred to VA prior to discharge. This not only facilitates servicemembers' transition to veteran status but also provides continuity of medical care during the discharge process.
Supporting Measure: Implementation guides developed for those Consolidated Health Informatics Standards adopted by VA and DoD**
*Actual data through August 2005.
**FY 2005 was the baseline year; thus no target had been identified.
2005 Result 2*
2006 Plan 2
Strategic Target 9
The development of two implementation guides benefits the transition of veterans to civilian life by implementing a uniform medical record for both DoD and VA, thus facilitating transfer of medical records between the two agencies.

Related Information

Major Management Challenges

The following major management challenges have been identified for this strategic objective:

GAO

Program Evaluations

No independent program evaluations have been conducted that specifically address this objective.

Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) Evaluation

No PART evaluations have been completed that specifically address this objective.

New Policies and Procedures

VA expanded the scope of care at the four regional Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Lead Rehabilitation Centers (located in Minneapolis, Palo Alto, Richmond, and Tampa) to create Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRCs). The PRCs are designed to treat catastrophically injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Patients treated at these facilities may have serious TBI alone or in combination with amputation, blindness, or other visual impairment, complex orthopedic injuries, auditory and vestibular disorders, and mental health concerns. The PRCs will specialize in coordinating the multifaceted treatment of these complex-injury patients.

In January 2005 VA established a permanent Office of Seamless Transition (OST). The OST reports to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health and is composed of representatives from VBA and VHA as well as two active duty Marine Corps officers. The OST coordinates all VA activities related to the provision of benefits and health care for seriously injured Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) servicemembers transitioning directly from the military to VA facilities.

The OST works closely with DoD to ensure that these servicemembers are transitioned from the military to VA smoothly and efficiently. Uniformed Army officers are stationed at each of the four Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers to serve as liaisons for active duty servicemembers receiving treatment at these sites. The OST is working with the military organizations providing support to injured servicemembers and their families such as Marine for Life, the Disabled Soldier Support System, and the Military Severely Injured Support Center.

Other Important Results

The Department's Vet Centers hired and trained a cadre of up to 50 new outreach workers from among the ranks of recently separated Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) veterans at targeted Vet Centers. Augmented Vet Center outreach is primarily for the purpose of providing information that facilitates the early provision of VA services to new returning veterans and their family members immediately upon their separation from the military. Due to the success of the initial GWOT veteran outreach program, the Under Secretary for Health authorized the hiring of additional OEF/OIF veteran outreach workers. The Vet Centers are now engaged in hiring 50 more GWOT veteran outreach workers to welcome home and inform their colleagues returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.