VA loses track of $300M in mental health funds

It seems that the Department of Veterans' Affairs fumbled the ball when it came to managing its $300 million mental health services budget. A report by the Government Accountability Office has found that the VA didn't spend the $300 million, and didn't keep good track of the money it did spend. The agency already spends big bucks on mental health, or about $2 billion in fiscal 2006, but the idea was to boost spending a bit to cover gaps in its services.

In 2004, the VA set out to improve treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse problems, adding a total of $300 million between 2005 and 2006 to do so. The idea was to fund new services at its hospitals, medical centers and clinics. As it turned out, however, the VA fell under budget by $12 million in fiscal 2005 and about $42 million in fiscal 2006. In some cases, meanwhile, it didn't tell its healthcare networks that the money was supposed to be used for mental-health initiatives. Right now, for about $112 million of the funds distributed, the VA can't tell whether the money was spent on mental health services upgrades or new programs.

Get more background on the VA mental health services picture:
- read this Washington Post article

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