The Veterans Choice Program and Employee Misconduct within the Veterans' Health System

The "Veterans Choice Program" requires the VA to furnish hospital care and medical services through eligible non-VA health care providers to eligible veterans who either cannot be seen within the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration or who qualify based on their place of residence or face an unusual or excessive burden in traveling to a VA medical facility as reported in chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 3 examines how officials at VHA facilities responded to adverse-action information received through National Practitioner Data Bank, how VHA facilities adhered to polices regarding providers with adverse actions, and steps VHA has recently taken to ensure that providers meet licensure requirements. Chapter 4 reviews the extent to which VA collects reliable information associated with employee misconduct and disciplinary actions, adheres to documentation-retention procedures when adjudicating cases of employee misconduct, ensures allegations of misconduct involving senior officials are reviewed according to VA investigative standards and these officials are held accountable, and has procedures to investigate whistle-blower allegations of misconduct; and the extent to which data and whistle-blower testimony indicate whether retaliation for disclosing misconduct occurs at VA.