Challenge
The U.S. Department of Defense Veterans Affairs (DoD–VA) Warrior Care and Coordination Task Force was formally established in May 2012 at the direction of the DoD–VA Joint Executive Committee (JEC) to assess both redundancies and continued transition gaps for Wounded Warriors as well as the overall program management of Wounded Warrior services between DoD and VA. The Task Force was charged with improving and harmonizing the delivery of care, benefits, and services across two agencies (DoD and VA) that together have 48 programs, 127 policies, and 15 information (IT) systems, and include variations across four DoD Service Branches: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, and two VA Administrations: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veterans Business Administration (VBA), with a community of care providers from both clinical and non-clinical fields.
Solution
The Task Force recommended a more integrated and agile approach to ensuring Warriors and their families receive needed services with less confusion and greater awareness of the full spectrum of programs and benefits. Central to the execution strategy was the stand-up of the Interagency Care Coordination Committee (IC3), a new organization that serves as the central entity to monitor all DoD/VA care coordination and case management activities in support of wounded, ill, and injured Service Members, Veterans, and their families and caregivers. Atlas Research is assisting with the transition to the new organization and is working with the development, dissemination, and maintenance of the comprehensive implementation plan.
Atlas is also working toward common doctrine and guidance to the Departments and provides services to all IC3 subordinate working groups. The Atlas Team collaborates with Department representatives to develop interagency policies, tools, and processes that will be implemented across both Departments to improve Warrior care management. In addition, Atlas provides strategic guidance to the committee on sustainability, resource management, and communications.
Results
Atlas has obtained extensive knowledge of Wounded Warrior program care management protocols through leading contract tasks for the IC3. Our current engagements center on improving care coordination and synchronization of severely wounded Service members enrolled in DoD and VA programs. Program improvements require thorough program evaluations and evidence-based recommendations for increasing effectiveness and patient outcomes. Skilled Atlas Team members are responsible for the review of existing Service Member data, federal policies, knowledge tools, and technology-based processes. Subsequently, they provide detailed recommendations for developing and implementing critical enhancements to components of military care management. Key project activities include completing a Service-level inventory of 48 Wounded Warrior programs to determine gaps, overlaps, and potential synergies between the care, benefits, and services offered. Data is being gathered through stakeholder interviews, review of program materials, and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from available federal databases. In complement to the inventory, Atlas is also conducting a case matching activity where we are evaluating the Wounded Warrior populations and care coordinators of DoD’s five and VA’s six care coordination programs. Our team is conducting quarterly matching practices related to 30,000 Service Member-related data elements. The outcomes are to determine gaps in patient enrollment, and subsequently analyze successful transitions, care integration, and care synchronization. These two complementary evaluation tasks will strengthen the care coordination framework associated with these agencies and lead to improved Service member quality of care.
By providing the IC3 with policy and process development and technical assistance, Atlas supports improved care for Service Members and their families as they transition between DoD/VA and into the civilian community.