VA To Examine Health Payments To Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a new partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) aimed at eliminating duplicate health care billing.

The VA said on Tuesday that the agencies had identified $106 million spent on duplicate billings over the past six years for veterans enrolled in both VA health care and Medicare.

It added that it will start to send bills to overpaid providers to recover the money from this month.

Newsweek contacted CMS for comment via email outside of regular working hours.

Why It Matters

Federal officials said the recovery effort will both recoup taxpayer funds and help redirect resources towards veterans and Medicare benefits.

Officials also said that the partnership will reduce waste and redundant paperwork.

What To Know

Approximately 5.9 million veterans are enrolled in both VA health care and Medicare, both of which pay for a variety of medical care from third-party providers.

There was previously no centralized system in place to prevent double billing, which enabled overpayments to go unnoticed.

The agencies have now established a data-matching agreement to spot when medical providers submit claims for payment to both VA and Medicare, aiming to prevent future overlapping claims.

In addition to payment reforms, the VA announced on Tuesday that it had awarded more than $2 million in new grants to seven educational and research organizations as part of the Veterans Legacy Program.

These grants aim to memorialize veterans through documentaries, digital storytelling, and educational projects that focus on veterans’ contributions.

Separately, Representative Jen Kiggans led a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee hearing on Tuesday to discuss poor oversight at the VA over incentive payments for recruitment, retention, and relocation.

According to the committee, a recent audit found that between 2020 and 2023 VA payments for relocation grew by 85 percent; retention payments grew by 131 percent; and recruitment bonuses grew by 237 percent.

Tracey Therit, Chief Human Capital Officer at the VA, said in a statement: “There is always room for improvement, and VA must continue to refine its governance of these incentives, including proper documentation of their use, ensuring the correct signatures are in place, and ensuring the justification for employing a 3R incentive is sound.”

“As a part of this Administration’s workforce optimization efforts, VA has identified several ideas for improving VA to better serve Veterans.”

What People Are Saying

VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement: “We are proud to implement this commonsense reform, which should have been instituted years ago but is only happening now under the leadership of President Trump. The money we save as a result of this effort will be much better spent helping VA and Medicare beneficiaries get the benefits they’ve earned.”

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said: “For too long, government programs have operated in silos, enabling improper payments to slip through the cracks at the expense of taxpayers. Under President Trump’s leadership, CMS is proud to partner with the VA to root out duplicate billing, recover taxpayer funds, and reduce redundant paperwork and waste so American Veterans and seniors receive the care they deserve.”

What Happens Next

The VA and CMS plan to recover improper payments from providers has already begun.