The House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on health has rebuked the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for shortcomings in the joint Federal Recovery Coordination Program that persist three years after the program was implemented.
The program, created in response to severe deficiencies in services provided at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, is supposed to act as a single point of contact for seriously wounded military personnel in order to expedite quality treatment and ease the transition back into duty or civilian life.
"It appears […] we have two separate programs – a VA program that utilizes Federal Recovery Coordinators and a DoD program that utilizes Recovery Care Coordinators," said subcommittee chair Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-NY, adding, "We will not accept any further progress reports or delays."
Overall, the panel lamented the lack of coordination and collaboration between the departments.
GAO has told the committee that the FRCP faces challenges related to the enrollment of potentially eligible individuals, determination of FRC staffing needs and placement, and the FRCP’s ability to coordinate care for enrollees.
