VA Cuts Improper Health Care Payments by 98% Since 2020
The Department of Veterans Affairs reduced improper payments in its Community Care Program from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, a 98% drop, according to a GAO report. Despite program spending rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, the improper payment rate fell from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO cited outdated claims, billing errors, and some fraud, recommending a fraud-risk framework by March 2028. Meanwhile, Medicare Advantage improper payments rose to $23.7 billion.
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VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing medical care to veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report released July 22, 2026. Despite Community Care Program spending rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, improper payments fell from 78% of total outlays to 2.4%. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, and billing exceeding authorized care, with some cases involving fraud. Examples include a home health care company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle fraud charges. The VA implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment. VA officials concurred with the GAO's recommendation to create a fraud-risk framework, with completion targeted by March 2028. The report also found CMS improper payments for Medicare Advantage rose from $16.3 billion in 2020 to $23.7 billion in 2025.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing community care for veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Despite total program outlays rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, the improper payment rate dropped from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, and billing errors, with some cases involving fraud. Examples include a home health company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle fraud charges. The VA implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment. The GAO recommended creating a fraud-risk framework, which VA officials agreed to, with completion targeted by March 2028. In contrast, the GAO found improper payments by CMS for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing community care for veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report released July 22, 2026. The improper payment rate dropped from 78% to 2.4% despite total program outlays rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion. The GAO attributed the reduction to VA efforts addressing system and policy issues like payment processing errors and eligibility problems. However, the GAO found the VA has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. The VA concurred with recommendations to create a fraud-risk framework, with completion targeted by March 2028. The report also noted CMS improper payments for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025.
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VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing community care for veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report. While VA outlays for the Community Care Program rose from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, improper payments fell from 78% to 2.4% of total spending. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, and billing errors, with some cases involving fraud. The VA implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. VA officials concurred with the GAO's recommendation to create a fraud-risk framework, to be completed by March 2028. In contrast, the GAO found that improper payments by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing community care for veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Despite total program outlays rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, the improper payment rate dropped from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO noted that improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, or bills exceeding authorized care, and sometimes involve fraud. Recent cases include a home health company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle fraud charges. The VA has implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. VA officials agreed to create a fraud-risk framework by March 2028 during the Veterans Health Administration reorganization. The GAO also found that improper payments by CMS for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing veteran medical care by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Despite Community Care Program outlays rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, the improper payment rate dropped from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, and bills exceeding authorized care, with some cases involving fraud. Recent fraud examples include a home health care company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle charges. The VA has implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. VA officials concurred with the GAO's recommendation to create a fraud-risk framework, with completion expected by March 2028. The report also found CMS improper payments for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing medical care to veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report released July 22, 2026. Despite Community Care Program spending rising from $9.5 billion to $25 billion, the improper payment rate fell from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, and bills exceeding authorized care, with some cases involving fraud. Recent examples include a home health care company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle fraud charges. The VA implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. VA officials concurred with the GAO's recommendation to create a fraud-risk framework, with completion expected by March 2028 during the Veterans Health Administration reorganization. The report also found CMS improper payments for Medicare Advantage plans rose to $23.7 billion in 2025 from $16.3 billion in 2020.
VA reduces improper payments for private health care by 98% since 2020, GAO finds
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced improper payments to private companies providing medical care to veterans by 98% over five years, from $7.5 billion in 2020 to $608 million in 2025, according to a Government Accountability Office report. While VA outlays for the Community Care Program rose from $9.5 billion to $25 billion in the same period, the improper payment rate dropped from 78% to 2.4%. The GAO noted improper payments stem from outdated claims, incorrect reimbursement rates, or bills exceeding authorized care, and sometimes involve fraud. Recent cases include a home health care company submitting $100,000 in fraudulent claims and a provider paying $3.7 million to settle fraud charges. The VA has implemented corrective actions but has not conducted a comprehensive fraud-risk assessment, leaving the program vulnerable. VA officials concurred with the GAO recommendation to create a fraud-risk framework, with completion targeted by March 2028.