Veterans Health Administration

"VA Medical Center" redirects here. For transit stations of this name, see Medical Center Station.
See also: List of Veterans Affairs medical facilities by state
Not to be confused with Veterans Benefits Administration.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Logo
Agency overview
Formed1865; 159 years ago (1865)[1]
Preceding agency
  • Veterans Health Service
JurisdictionFederal government of the United States
HeadquartersVeteran Affairs Building
810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, D.C., US
38°54′03″N 77°02′05″W / 38.90083°N 77.03472°W / 38.90083; -77.03472
Employees350,790 (2021)[2]
Annual budgetFY2022: $97.5 billion USD (appropriated)[2]
FY2023: $113.3 billion USD (advance appropriation)
FY2023: $122.7 billion USD (budget request)
Agency executives
Parent departmentUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
Websitewww.va.gov/HEALTH/

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health[2] that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a nationalized healthcare service in the United States, providing healthcare and healthcare-adjacent services to veterans through the administration and operation of 146 VA Medical Centers (VAMC) with integrated outpatient clinics, 772 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), and 134 VA Community Living Centers (VA Nursing Home) Programs. It is the largest division in the department, and second largest in the entire federal government, employing over 350,000 employees. All VA hospitals, clinics and medical centers are owned by and operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (as opposed to private companies), and all of the staff employed in VA hospitals are federal employees .[3] Because of this, veterans that qualify for VHA healthcare do not pay premiums or deductibles for their healthcare but may have to make copayments depending on the medical procedure.[4][5] VHA is not a part of the US Department of Defense Military Health System.

Many evaluations have found that by most measures VHA care is equal to, and sometimes better than, care provided in the private sector, when judged by standard evidence-based guidelines.[16] A 2009 Congressional Budget Office report on the VHA found that "the care provided to VHA patients compares favorably with that provided to non-VHA patients in terms of compliance with widely recognized clinical guidelines — particularly those that VHA has emphasized in its internal performance measurement system. Such research is complicated by the fact that most users of VHA's services receive at least part of their care from outside providers."[17]

Medical Program Budget Allocation 2015–2019. Data comes from VA budget submissions.[18]
  1. ^ "VA History". VA.gov. Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Office of Budget". VA.gov. Department of Veterans Affairs. February 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Wallace, Gregory (September 19, 2014). "VA hikes top pay for doctors by $20,000 to $35,000". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  4. ^ "Your health care costs". VA.gov. Department of Veterans Affairs. August 8, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Non-Enrolled Veterans -- VA, Affordable Care Act and You". VA.gov. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Barry, Catherine N.; Bowe, Thomas R.; Suneja, Anecia (August 1, 2016). "An Update on the Quality of Medication Treatment for Mental Disorders in the VA". Psychiatric Services. 67 (8): 930. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.670804. ISSN 1075-2730. PMID 27476899.
  7. ^ Watkins, Katherine E.; Smith, Brad; Akincigil, Ayse; Sorbero, Melony E.; Paddock, Susan; Woodroffe, Abigail; Huang, Cecilia; Crystal, Stephen; Pincus, Harold Alan (November 16, 2015). "The Quality of Medication Treatment for Mental Disorders in the Department of Veterans Affairs and in Private-Sector Plans". Psychiatric Services. 67 (4): 391–96. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201400537. ISSN 1075-2730. PMID 26567931.
  8. ^ Asch, Steven M.; McGlynn, Elizabeth A.; Hogan, Mary M.; Hayward, Rodney A.; Shekelle, Paul; Rubenstein, Lisa; Keesey, Joan; Adams, John; Kerr, Eve A. (December 21, 2004). "Comparison of Quality of Care for Patients in the Veterans Health Administration and Patients in a National Sample". Annals of Internal Medicine. 141 (12): 938–45. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-141-12-200412210-00010. ISSN 0003-4819. PMID 15611491. S2CID 35973709.
  9. ^ Kerr, Eve A. (August 17, 2004). "Diabetes Care Quality in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System and Commercial Managed Care: The TRIAD Study". Annals of Internal Medicine. 141 (4): 272–81. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-141-4-200408170-00007. ISSN 0003-4819. PMID 15313743. S2CID 21756356.
  10. ^ Trivedi, Amal N.; Matula, Sierra; Miake-Lye, Isomi; Glassman, Peter A.; Shekelle, Paul; Asch, Steven (2011). "Systematic Review: Comparison of the Quality of Medical Care in Veterans Affairs and Non-Veterans Affairs Settings". Medical Care. 49 (1): 76–88. doi:10.1097/mlr.0b013e3181f53575. JSTOR 25767038. PMID 20966778. S2CID 36506752.
  11. ^ Keating, Nancy L.; Landrum, Mary Beth; Lamont, Elizabeth B.; Bozeman, Samuel R.; Krasnow, Steven H.; Shulman, Lawrence N.; Brown, Jennifer R.; Earle, Craig C.; Oh, William K. (June 7, 2011). "Quality of Care for Older Patients With Cancer in the Veterans Health Administration Versus the Private Sector". Annals of Internal Medicine. 154 (11): 727–36. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-154-11-201106070-00004. ISSN 0003-4819. PMID 21646556. S2CID 207536127.
  12. ^ Shekelle, Paul G.; Asch, Steven; Glassman, Peter; Matula, Sierra; Trivedi, Amal; Miake-Lye, Isomi (2010). Comparison of Quality of Care in VA and Non-VA Settings: A Systematic Review. VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program Reports. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US). PMID 21155199.
  13. ^ Trivedi, Amal N; Grebla, Regina C (2011). "Quality and Equity of Care in the Veterans Affairs Health-Care System and in Medicare Advantage Health Plans". Medical Care. 49 (6): 560–8. doi:10.1097/MLR.0b013e31820fb0f6. PMID 21422951. S2CID 23926259.
  14. ^ Lancaster, Robert T.; Tanabe, Kenneth K.; Schifftner, Tracy L.; Warshaw, Andrew L.; Henderson, William G.; Khuri, Shukri F.; Hutter, Matthew M. (June 1, 2007). "Liver Resection in Veterans Affairs and Selected University Medical Centers: Results of the Patient Safety in Surgery Study". Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 204 (6): 1242–51. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2007.02.069. PMID 17544082.
  15. ^ Longman, Phillip. Best care anywhere. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010.
  16. ^ [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Annual Budget Submission". VA.gov. Office of Budget, Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved March 18, 2020.