VA Has Reduced Many Barriers to Care

VA has taken several actions to remove barriers identified by GAO, VA, and women veteran proponents over the years that prevent women veterans from obtaining care in VA medical facilities. VA has also designated coordinators to assist women veterans in accessing the system. Efforts Increased to Inform Women Veterans of Services, but Effectiveness Unknown

Over the last few years, VA has increased its outreach efforts to inform women veterans of their eligibility for care in response to problems highlighted by GAO, VA, and veteran service organizations between 1982 and 1994. This survey should allow VA to assess the effectiveness of its outreach to women veterans. Women Veterans Coordinators More Effective in Assisting Women Veterans in Obtaining Care

Women veterans coordinators assist in obtaining care, advocate for women veterans’ health care, and collaborate with medical center management to make facilities more sensitive to women veterans. Others may only offer certain services on a contractual or part-time basis. The increase in the availability of services and the emphasis on women veterans’ health have contributed to increases in the number of women veterans served and visits made, with the exception of inpatient care.Between fiscal years 1994 and 1997, the number of gender-specific services provided to women veterans increased about 42 percent, from over 85,000 to over 121,000. Services for Women Are Available but Vary by Facility

While women veterans can obtain gender-specific services as well as other health care services at most VA medical facilities, the extent to which care, especially gender-specific care, is available varies by facility. Based on VA’s survey of its medical facilities, the number of women veterans receiving gender-specific services increased about 42 percent from more than 85,000 to almost 121,200 during the same period. Concluding Observations

VA’s health care program for women veterans has made important strides in the last few years.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) health care program for women, focusing on: (1) the progress VA made in removing barriers that may prevent women veterans from obtaining VA health care services; and (2) the extent to which VA health care services, particularly gender-specific services, are available to and used by women veterans.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) VA has made considerable progress in removing barriers that prevent women veterans from obtaining care; (2) VA has increased outreach to women veterans to inform them of their eligibility for health care services and designated women veterans coordinators to assist women veterans in accessing VA's health care system; (3) VA has also improved the health care environment in many of its medical facilities, especially with respect to accommodating the privacy needs of women veterans; (4) however, VA recognizes that it has more working these areas and plans to address concerns about the effectiveness of its outreach efforts and privacy barriers that still exist in some facilities; (5) in response to women veterans' concerns, VA has begun to assess its capacity to women veterans; (6) with regard to gender-specific services, VA's efforts to emphasize women veterans' health care have contributed to a significant increas of all services over the last 3 years; (7) the range of services differs by facility; services may be provided in clinics designated specifically for women veterans, or they may be provided in the overall medical facility health care system; (8) more importantly, utilization has increased significantly between 1994 and 1997; (9) for example, gender-specific services grew from over 85,000 to more than 121,000; and (10) during the same time period, the number of women veterans treated for all health care services on an outpatient basis increased by about 32 percent or 119,300.