Healthcare Inspection Review of the Veterans Health Administration's Use of Appropriated Funds for Research

As required by the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, fiscal year 2009 (FY09), the VA Office of Inspector General completed a review of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) research and its relevance to veterans. The purposes of the evaluation were to (1) describe the project areas for which these funds were obligated, (2) delineate the medical requirements of veterans as demonstrated by veteran medical care utilization, and (3) evaluate the relevance of funded research to the demonstrated medical requirements of veterans. We reviewed the obligations of funds by researchers and the categorization of research protocols according to Designated Research Areas (DRAs), which VHA developed as a mechanism to categorize areas of research. We also examined the medical conditions for which veterans were treated as inpatients and/or outpatients. We concluded that appropriated funds for VA research address the broad spectrum of medical issues with which veterans contend. Nevertheless, VHA’s reporting on appropriated funds for research could be more transparent and detailed through the use of current technologies.