- GAO: IT System Issues Persist with VA’s Family Caregiver Program
- GAO Says Health IT Infrastructure Costs for VA’s EHR Unreliable
The VA MISSION Act also directed the department to implement a new IT system that would allow for data assessment and monitoring of the program. The act instructed the VA to deploy am IT system able to retrieve data to monitor workload trends at VA medical center and aggregate levels, manage an increased number of caregivers as the program expands, and integrate with other IT systems at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
The program’s current healthcare IT system, the Caregiver Application Tracker (CAT), is not able to handle the current workload, never mind its expansion to all veterans, according to GAO. CAT is a web-based system designed to facilitate the exchange of caregiver data between VA medical centers and other VHA facilities.
CAT has limited reporting capabilities and cannot provide system-wide data on whether VA medical centers are completing required quarterly contacts and annual home visits for veterans and caregivers enrolled in the program, the government watchdog found. These CAT shortcomings mean that the program office is not able to monitor and identify when VA medical centers need additional staff to meet contact and visit requirements.
The VA has attempted to replace the CAT on three occasions. However, two of these efforts were ended without delivering a replacement IT system. The third effort, called the Caregiver Record Management Application (CARMA), is not expected to begin initial release until October 2019.
The initial release is expected to include expanded capabilities needed to develop system-wide reports on the completion of the required quarterly contacts and annual home visits, the GAO related.
The second release, planned for January 2020, is designed to refine initial functionality and improve stipend processing capabilities. Additional product releases are scheduled through the summer of 2020 to incorporate new capabilities, such as online application submissions for veterans and the ability to connect to existing VA systems that manage veteran and caregiver identity and relationship management.
The GAO said it is unclear what additional work may be necessary to accommodate the expansion of the Family Caregiver Program since the department is in the early stages of planning.
According to VA officials interviewed by the GAO, the cost for CARMA is estimated to be between $5.7 million and $6.3 million, but additional costs for licensing and modifications to legacy systems are also anticipated.
The VA has not provided a date by which the replacement system for CAT will be ready to fully support the program’s requirements.
Since the expansion of the program is contingent on the VA secretary’s certification that the IT system fully supports it, continued delays with the IT system will postpone assistance for caregivers and veterans who may qualify for these benefits when eligibility requirements are expanded.
The GAO is recommending that the VA collect complete staffing data on the Family Caregiver Program, establish a process to ensure the accuracy of the program staffing data, and establish an interim method to collect system-wide data on required contacts and visits by the VA medical centers.
“Until the system is implemented and certified, the expansion of eligibility for the Family Caregiver Program will be delayed,” the GAO stressed.
